The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter
by Alexia Blackbriar
Summary: AU OotP After M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny Merlin Emrys decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. 9 NEW CHAPTERS!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

A wave of powerful and strong magic rocked the Earth. Merlin looked up from where he had been seated, cross-legged, on the shores of the Lake of Avalon, staring out over the water. It had been five centuries since Arthur's death and the Battle of Camlann. He had gotten over his King's death a long time ago, but still liked to stay beside the lake because of the old memories that resided there.

The warlock instantly recognised the magic as New, but extremely powerful. Rising to his feet steadily, Merlin leant over the crystal clear water of the Lake and uttered a scying spell. He had been watching the magical society closely for many, many years. He had Seen the evil wizard Voldemort rise and witnessed the first battle between the Dark Lord and the Chosen One: Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. The Philosophers Stone… the Chamber of Secrets… the Triwizard Tournament and the graveyard… he had seen it all through the water, watched it happen, but had been unable to manipulate the events, as they were controlled by the Old Religion.

The water shimmered magically before revealing to Merlin the present. He instantly recognised the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Professor Dumbledore was duelling Voldemort brutally, while Harry was flung up against wall behind him, forced up against it as he gasped for breath, clearly exhausted. A fiery snake roared up before Dumbledore as both he and the Dark Lord shot ruthless and merciless spells at each other, faces contorted with pain and coldness towards each other.

Merlin swiped his hands through the water and the image vanished. The magic of the Old Religion burned within him, squeezing his heart and causing him to inhale sharply and deeply. It was time. It was time for Merlin to become part of this magical world. It was time for him to connect with the magical community, time for him to be seen again. For so long he had hidden by the Lake of Avalon, unknown and unseen, thought to be dead. But… it was time now.

His expression serious and determined, Merlin flung his hand out over the water. A beautifully crafted sword leapt from its depths, shining brightly. Excalibur gleamed in Merlin's hands and the warlock could not help but smile proudly. This was King Arthur's sword; the sword that had killed the traitor Mordred and the witch Morgana.

It was time to join the battle.

* * *

Another jet of green light flew from behind the silver shield. This time it was the one-armed centaur, galloping in front of Dumbledore, that took the blast and shattered into a hundred pieces, but before the fragments had even hit the floor, Dumbledore drew back his wand and waved it as though brandishing a whip. A long thin flame flew from the tip; it wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all. For a moment, it seemed Dumbledore had won, but then the fiery rope became a serpent, which relinquished its hold on Voldemort at once and turned, hissing furiously, to face Dumbledore.

Voldemort vanished; the snake reared from the floor, ready to strike –

There was a burst of flame in midair above Dumbledore just as Voldemort reappeared, standing on the plinth in the middle of the pool where so recently the five statues had stood.

"_Look out!" _Harry yelled.

But even as he shorted, another jet of green light flew at Dumbledore from Voldemort's want and the snake struck –

"_Hilderand!" _The snake smashed into a powerful, invisible shield and vanished within seconds. "_Astríce!" _the man bellowed, appearing out in a tornado of swirling leaves and wind in front of both Harry and Dumbledore as his eyes flashed liquid gold.

Voldemort's eyes grew wide with fear and shock as the force of the Old spell slammed into him, sending him flying backwards, flailing helplessly before smashing onto the tiled floor, unleashing a cry of agony. Harry gasped while Dumbledore stared. The man lowered his hand, his eyes returning to their natural cobalt blue, glittering as the stunned Voldemort staggered to his feet, laughing as though in complete astonishment. The man glowered at him, eyes filled with hatred. Voldemort's laugh quietened until it was merely a resounding chuckle.

"So, the great warlock finally shows his scrawny little face." Voldemort taunted the new-comer. "After all these years hiding…" His laugh was cruel and malicious and he gazed eagerly at the man with longing and envy. "Everybody thought you dead, but you were always there, waiting in the shadows."

The man glared at him. "It was not yet time for me to reappear." He informed the Dark Lord gravely in an emotionless, cold voice.

"And yet now, it appears that it is." Voldemort cocked his head sideways at the newcomer, curious. He now had no interest in Dumbledore or Harry and instead seemed fascinated by this new man. "Join me." He urged the man. "Join me, and we shall triumph! The Old Religion will flourish once again and I will rule over magical and non-magical people alike. You will be powerful once again!"

The man stared at him disbelievingly before bursting out laughing. Harry couldn't believe his eyes or ears. This man, who looked around nineteen or twenty years old, with very powerful magic of the likes he had never seen before, was laughing at Lord Voldemort. _Laughing_.

"ME, join YOU?" the man laughed, as if I was some kind of joke. "Are you utterly insane?"

"Are you?" Harry hissed.

"Why do you mock me so?" Voldemort demanded. "Join me!" he practically screamed.

"You know who I am." The man said, now serious. "You know I would never join you."

Voldemort's eyes hardened. "Then if you will not join me," he hissed, "Then I will have to kill you."

Furiously, he flicked his wand towards the man and Harry held his breath in fear as a jet of green light hurtled towards the newcomer. The man barely blinked and instead simply raised his hand. Dumbledore and Harrys' jaws dropped in astonishment as the killing curse merely extinguished a metre away from the man's hand.

"Impossible." Dumbledore murmured.

Voldemort screamed in frustration: "_Evada Kedavra! Stupefy! CRUCIO!"_

All the spells simply disintegrated in front of the man. He even laughed. His eyes flickered golden for a few seconds as he sent Voldemort stumbling back a few steps, eyes wide with terror at the thought of being weak.

"_Forebærne." _The man whispered, thrusting his hand outwards. A large, flaming fireball soared towards Voldemort, hitting his square in the chest. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and scraps of black robes were thrown onto the floor and Voldemort scratched at him burn mark, screaming.

There was another shriek of outrage as he pointed his want at the man furiously. "_CRUCIO! CRUCIO! EVADA KEDAVRA!"_

"_Forfylden." _The man murmured, his eyes glowing topaz. Once again, the curses had no effect.

Voldemort screamed again, a shock wave sending glass splintering and the shards flying across the hall like knives. Order of the Phoenix members sprinted into the chamber, eyes wide with fear, squeaking when they saw Voldemort; the Minister of Magic appeared out of one of the fireplaces and gasped when he saw the Dark Lord there, standing a few metres away from him.

Yelling furiously, Voldemort vanished in a burst of fire that quickly transformed into a flame serpent that hissed threateningly at the three of them before disappearing in cloud of smoke.

Harry rose to his feet uncertainly, helped by Dumbledore; the stranger stood, motionless. DA members began to appear behind the Order; Hermione and Ron sprinted towards Harry, embracing their friend tightly while he shook in half-fear, half-relief. Ginny, Luna and Neville raced to meet them and hugged them all, laughing in relief. Fred and George, who had arrived quite suddenly, clapped Harry on the back, smiling broadly as they congratulated him gleefully. However, Harry couldn't feel any glee at all; he allowed tears to flow down his face as he remembered his godfather's face as he died, the shock that had lingered in his eyes before being replaced with an eerie peace.

Nobody noticed the powerful warlock who had fought Voldemort back up against the wall and slide down the side of it, eyes scrunched up in pain as gasping as he hit the floor. Voices swam around him and the people surrounding him were blurred. Grimacing, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, swallowing heavily.

Fudge was arguing hysterically with Kingsley while Tonks and Lupin were sorting out some of the other Ministry officials. Harry cried while his friends hugged him. Professor McGonagall and Molly Weasley promptly arrived and began fussing over them, checking them over for injuries. Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the hall, flourishing his wand as he repaired the chamber and the statues of the fountain.

Merlin reached down towards his belt and caught hold of the invisible sword sheath, drawing out Excalibur and staring at it with hazy eyes, holding Arthur's legendary sword in his left hand tightly, afraid to let it go. He clutched at his side through his red servant's shirt that he had worn everyday since Arthur had been killed.

He yanked off his blue neckerchief, smiling at it weakly, remembering how many times Arthur had teased him because of it, before placing it on his bleeding wound. Unbeknownst to the others, he had killed off more than a dozen Death Eaters before they had a chance to attack the DA or Hogwarts. He had been caught off guard when he had been hit with two curses at once: _diffindo _and _stupefy _at the same time, and they had torn his left side into pieces, shattered that side of his ribcage. It was too painful to move, to even think.

Memories clouded his mind.

_He was leading Arthur through the forest, a determined look upon his face. Camelot had been taken by Morgana and Helios, and he, Arthur and Gwen, as well as two smugglers, Tristan and Isolde, were hiding in the Forest of Essetir. He had recently spoken to Kilgharrah about Arthur losing the will to fight but he had come up with a cunning plan._

_"This had better be good, because this really isn't the time for one of your ridiculous games." Arthur growled unhappily, following his manservant through the woods._

_"I was thinking about last night," Merlin explained, "And how you'd been saying you'd given up all hope, that you were a poor leader and a shoddy King…"_

_"Shoddy?" Arthur spluttered, eyebrows raised._

_Merlin rolled his eyes. "Alright, shabby."_

_"Thanks." Arthur said sarcastically._

_"Well, it reminded me of a tale Gaius once told me." Merlin informed him, looking around, searching in the trees._

_Arthur shook his head, rolling his eyes: "Merlin, I'm really not interested in your favourite bedtime stories."_

_Merlin stopped, gazing out in the trees before turning around to face his grumpy master. "For once in your life," he said, biting back a grin, "Just LISTEN."_

_Arthur pursed his lips but spread out his hands, holding them up as he nodded, somewhat reluctantly. Merlin gave a small smile before turning back around and striding through the forest._

_"Many years ago, before the birth of the Five Kingdoms, this land was in an endless cycle of bloodshed and war. But one man was determined to end all that. He gathered together the Elders of each tribe and drew up plans for the land to be divided; each would respect the others' boundaries and rule over the land they each saw fit." He was fully aware that Arthur was rolling his eyes and shaking his head, obviously annoyed, behind him. "That man was Camelot's first King." Merlin continued. "Ancestor to all that followed, including you, Arthur."_

_Arthur stated, in an irritated and tired voice, "Bruta."_

_Merlin nodded; "You know the story…"_

_Arthur rolled his eyes once more. "Yes, every child in Camelot does." He paused before adding, "Can I go back to bed now?"_

_"No." Merlin told him firmly. "Because there's another part of the story that you haven't heard."_

_"Really?" Arthur said sarcastically._

_Merlin ignored his comments and continued, "When Bruta was on his death-bed, he asked to be taken deep into the forest. There, with the last of his strength, he thrust his sword into a rock. His lineage was never questioned; this would form a test. Only a true King of Camelot could pull the weapon free."_

_Arthur now walked beside him, disbelief written all over his face. "Are you making this up?"_

_Merlin tsked him. "Of course not." He lied, beginning to walk again._

_Arthur raised an eyebrow at him before frowning, hurrying after his manservant. "Alright." He allowed. "If this is true why haven't I heard this story?"_

_"Well… history isn't really your strong point, is it?"_

_"Then where is this rock?" Arthur asked in an accusing voice._

_"Oh, it was lost, many years ago." Merlin answered casually, walking down some steps, still leading Arthur onwards. "During the Great Purge. But – I've managed to find it." He sounded triumphant and proud of himself._

_Arthur snorted. "I've never heard so much rubbish, in my entire life."_

_Merlin turned around, glaring, "Are you calling Gaius a liar?"_

_"No." Arthur cried out, offended by the idea. He stopped in front of Merlin, glaring at him. "I'm calling you an idiot!"_

_Merlin smiled before turning to motioning through the woods to a glade. "What's that then?"_

_Arthur shook his head before turning and staring through the woods where Merlin was looking. He stopped, his head hammering. His mouth slacked in disbelief. There, in the middle of the clearing, sat a large boulder. A beautiful silver sword, with a golden hilt that glittered in the sun, was stuck it in, its beauty shining around the glade. Arthur gazed at it, mesmerized, while Merlin grinned and led him forwards towards it. They stared at it a while, awestruck. Then, suddenly, figures appeared in the trees. People of Camelot and the Knights trekked down towards the clearing. Arthur and Merlin could see Percival and Leon leading them, helping some people get down a steep slope. Arthur stared at them all, shocked, before turning to Merlin, who had a pleased smirk on his face._

_"What the hell are you playing at?" Arthur hissed at him furiously, fists clenched._

_"I'm proving that you're their leader, and their King." Merlin said, grinning widely._

_"That sword is stuck fast in solid stone!"_

_"And you're going to pull it out." Merlin told Arthur, certainty in his voice as he gazed at his master in respect._

_"Merlin! It's impossible!" Arthur whispered._

_"Arthur, you're the true King of Camelot." Merlin told him firmly, voice filled with confidence._

_Arthur hesitated at his servant's tone, looking slightly touched, turning to look at his waiting people and the beautiful Excalibur before turning back to Merlin, who was looking at him like he was the greatest man he'd ever known, and that he'd lay down his life for Arthur._

_"Do you want me to look like a fool?" Arthur asked, half-horrified and half-annoyed._

_"No, I want you to see that Tristan's wrong." Merlin informed him, proudly. "You aren't just anyone, you are special. You and you alone can draw out that sword!"_

_Arthur paused once more, gazing at Excalibur, gulping, before yanking out his old sword and thrusting it into the ground beside Merlin. "You'd better be right about this." He whispered threateningly to Merlin, his face straight. The warlock only smiled._

_Arthur strode forwards, gazing at his knights and people before fixing his hands around the sword uncertainly. He tried to yank it out with all his might, but only ended up wasting his strength. Merlin watched unworriedly. He knew Arthur had to believe._

_"You have to believe, Arthur. You're destined to be Albion's greatest King." Merlin urged him. Arthur shook his head slightly, but Merlin continued, assuring him, "Nothing, not even this stone, can stand in your way."_

_Arthur stared at Excalibur and the stone. He briefly shut his eyes. He believed. He believed in himself. Reaching forwards with one hand, he grasped the sword as though he was going to pull it out of a sheath. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and hoped._

_"Have faith." Merlin murmured._

_Lifting his head slightly, Arthur exhaled calmly, before drawing his arm upwards. Merlin's eyes burned gold. The sword slid out of the stone as if it was water and Arthur thrust it into the air, his eyes wide with triumph. Merlin gazed up at him in awe, as did Camelot's citizens. Leon and Percivals' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets._

_"LONG LIVE THE KING!" Leon roared._

_"LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING!"_

Merlin awoke with a painful gasp. He remembered that story. That memory was extremely painful and caused his heart to ache. He turned over, tears filling his eyes, not even caring about the wound on his side.

"Hello." Somebody whispered to him.

He looked up through bleary eyes and saw Luna Lovegood gazing down at him. He blinked at her uncertainly, shifting away. His magic bubbled up inside of him, desperate to escape. The balance between Old Magic and New had been altered when he had entered the battle and it was draining his body of energy, clawing at his magic inside of him.

Luna gazed at him with dreamy eyes before turning around: "We need some help!"

Merlin flinched in pain as shadows flickered over him as Order and DA members surrounded him, some kneeling beside him and some just standing over him protectively. Dumbledore, who was crouched next to him, tried to reach forwards to touch his wound.

"Don't touch me." Merlin gasped in a strangled voice.

The Old Magic was flowing freely inside of his veins, coursing powerfully through his blood. He had to release it somehow. But he didn't want to risk hurting Harry or any of his friends so allowed it to swim around inside of him, burning and searing him agonizingly.

Dumbledore withdrew his hand, looking concerned. "Thank you." He murmured gratefully. "You saved all our lives."

"My pleasure." Merlin answered through gritted teeth. "Believe me, it's nothing new. I've been doing this sort of stuff for centuries."

He couldn't take it any longer. He had to release the Old Magic. He couldn't hold it back; he knew it would destroy all those in its path to reach the earth. If only he knew a way to channel it somehow. _Wait. Wait. _Sirius Black. He was dead. If Merlin could use his overflowing magic somehow… Reaching down within himself for something he had hidden away for centuries, Merlin drew his ability to mirror life and death to the surface. His magic swirled around it and Merlin centred his mind on Sirius' name.

He took the life of one of the Death Eaters that was dying slowly in the Department of Mysteries and allowed that life force to flow seamlessly into Sirius' body. He felt Harry's Godfather gasp for breath, his eyes flying open in shock, his heart pumping furiously.

"Re…mus…" Merlin whispered, words laced with pain.

Lupin's eyes grew wide as he knelt down beside him, his gaze uncertain. "Yes?" he mumbled, unsure what to do.

"Back in the… Department… of Mysteries…" Merlin managed to spit out, coughing blood and staining his shirt as he convulsed. Nobody touched him. "There's… somebody… waiting for… you."

Harry, Hermione and Ron stared, eyes as round as plates.

"Who?" Lupin asked, curiously.

Merlin inhaled shakily, gasping, "Padfoot."

Lupin's eyes bulged. "But… Pad-Padfoot d-died." He stammered.

"Yes." Merlin replied, breathless. "I know. I… I brought him… back… for you… for Harry… he's waiting… for you… both…"

Lupin looked up, stunned and then was racing away from them, back towards that dreaded door, unable to stop. Everybody watched him go.

Professor McGonagall inched forwards, her wand in her hand. "Here, let me help, I can deal with the wound –"

"No." Merlin cried out, struggling away from them, kicking helplessly. His left hand gripped Excalibur and he dragged the sword closer to his chest. "Don't come any closer." He begged them, trying to look threatening as he clutched Excalibur tightly.

"I can heal you." McGonagall whispered.

"You're m-magic won't w-work on me." Merlin stuttered. "I need the O-Old R-Religion. And I'm pretty s-sure that none of you know t-t-t-_that_." He hauled Excalibur up to his chest, hugging it tightly, glad that when he died, he'd at least be dying with an essence of his old best friend by his side.

"That sword." Hermione murmured, her voice quiet. "That's Excalibur."

"The one and only." Merlin tried to laugh, but only managed a strangled chuckle before his body convulsed again as the Old Religion took over once more. As soon as he was free from its grasp, he groaned. "God… Arthur's gonna kill me…" he gasped. "Well… the bloody prat never kept out of trouble either, so I guess we're square on injuries now. Eugh, what's he gonna say when I told him I might have scratched his sword…?"

Dumbledore gazed at him curiously. "My dear boy… you're not meaning to say that you…"

"That I knew King Arthur of Camelot… from… the legends…?" Merlin raised his eyebrow weakly, clutching his side with his left hand, still trying to scoot away from the group. "Yes… I did… he was the biggest dollophead ever and his ego was nearly as big as his waist…"

"Who are you?" Kingsley asked, his voice disbelieving and filled with awe. "What is your name?"

Merlin gave a few strangled gasps, breathing shallowly, his chest heaving as he sweated heavily, teeth and fists clenched with pain. He shook his head slightly, trying to fight off the darkness forcing itself into his mind. "My name…" he gasped, "Is Merlin Emrys."

He promptly passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

Memories swam around his mind.

_"You're such an idiot, Merlin!" …."Takes one to know one…"_

_"Do I know you?"…. "Er, I'm Merlin."…. "So I don't know you."…. "….No…"… "And yet you called me 'friend'."…. "Yeah… that was my mistake."….. "Yes, it was."...… "I could never have a friend who could be such an ass."_

_"…I've been trained to kill since birth."…. "Oh, and how long have you been training to be a prat?" ….."You can't address me that way!"…. "Oh, then, how long have you been training to be a prat, my Lord?"_

_"I could take you apart in one blow!"….. "I could take you apart in less than that."_

_"Merlin, I'm really not interested in your favourite bedtime stories."… "For once in your life… just, LISTEN."_

_"I'll get him a pillow."… "Merlin! He's the King!"….. "Alright then, fine, TWO pillows…"_

_"I'm a sorcerer… I have magic."…. "Get away from me!"_

_"All this time, Merlin. You never once seeked any recognition."….. "That's not why I do it."_

_"I don't want you to change. I want you to be YOU."_

Eyelids fluttering weakly, Merlin stirred. Looking around his surroundings cautiously, the first thing he noticed was that he was in an extremely comfy bed, with royal red blankets and soft velvet sheets, with Pendragon red drapes. At first Merlin just thought that he's drifted off to sleep while changing Arthur's sheets again; but then, he remembered Camlann, and the centuries in hiding. He jolted upright in alarm and cried out in agony when his left side stung painfully.

"Don't get up, you'll only hurt yourself further." A grey-haired woman with spectacles told him kindly, sitting on a chair In front of the bed. McGonagall eyed him with appraised eyes when Merlin's own eyes shot about the room in fear and shock.

"Where am I?" he asked, terrified.

"You're at Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall informed him. "Madame Pomfrey fixed up your ribs, but she said they'll be a little achy."

"'Achy' is an understatement." Merlin grumbled under his breath. "I feel like I've ran to the Western Isles and back again."

McGonagall shot him a curious, confused look, before rising and stating, "I'll go fetch Dumbledore; he's been waiting for you to wake up."

"How long was I unconscious?" Merlin asked, alarmed.

"Four days." McGonagall told him.

"Damn it." Merlin moaned, sinking back into the blankets, his hands on his face. "Arthur is really, _really _going to kill me."

"I'll remind you, boy, that you are no longer in Camelot." McGonagall told him not unkindly, but firmly.

Merlin's eyes widened. Damn it, that meant she _knew_. She knew about his magic and who he was and what he had done. Merlin only groaned more, his face in his hands. McGonagall gave him a shaky smile, and it was clear she was slightly afraid of him. She left the room without another word.

The chambers were much like Arthur's, when he had been King in Camelot. They were spacious and roomy, with red and gold drapes and curtains, a large four poster bed and a desk with paperwork on it, with a lit candle. Merlin leaned forwards to touch a drape and frowned when he found the Pendragon emblem embroidered into it.

"The Pendragons are famous amongst all folk." Stated a caring voice, from the door.

Merlin looked up and found Dumbledore gazing down at him, his eyes twinkling. "The House of Pendragon is long gone." Merlin murmured. "All traces of their history vanished when Guinevere's son died."

"And yet, we know the truth." Dumbledore sighed. "And we know that the history has not vanished, just simply was not shared."

"Maybe it wasn't shared for a good reason."

Dumbledore stared at him, amused. "Yes, I'm sure that's the case."

Merlin groaned and turned away, burying his face in the pillow. "This is so embarrassing."

"Maybe for you." Dumbledore said. "But not for an old man like me."

"I'm older than you." Merlin mumbled. "I'm over four centuries old."

"Ah yes, but that depends, you see." Dumbledore said, infuriatingly. "For is that age physical or mental? I think it may be neither. It is simply a number for you."

Merlin groaned again, causing Dumbledore to laugh. The Headmaster took a seat at the side of the bed, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Merlin clambered out of bed to find he was wearing some simple striped pyjamas from the Hospital Wing. He grabbed his freshly washed clothes from the table and hurried to change behind a screen. Once he was back in his comfortably old trousers, red cotton shirt and signature neckerchief, he relaxed a little. He was surprised to find that the coat of arms of the House of Pendragon had been embroidered in gold onto the corner of his neckerchief, but wore it anyway, proud to be sporting Arthur's emblem. He joined Dumbledore at the table and they both just sat there, staring into space.

"How many people know?" Merlin finally asked, his voice breaking on the last word in half-fear and half-horror.

"Not many." The Headmaster reassured him. "The Order of the Phoenix… Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood, Mr Longbottom, Mr Weasley, Mr Weasley, a few members of the Ministry and the Minister himself."

"How many people are going to know?" Merlin changed his question, his expression worried and fearful.

Dumbledore gazed at him. "As far as I know, just them." He said quietly.

Merlin hesitated, before stating, "I don't want to be worshipped or treated like a God. For over five centuries people have used my name like it's there to be bowed down to. I want things to be like they were in Camelot. I want to be able to say, 'Hello, I'm Merlin' and not face things that I don't want, like fame and fortune."

Dumbledore nodded understandingly. "Yes, I'm sure that's true." He stood up, clasping his hands in front of him. "Now, there are several people in my office that have been wanting to see you for quite some time. Will you join us?"

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut. He instinctively reached for Excalibur's hilt. He immediately felt relief when he grasped the familiar sword's hilt in his right hand. He inhaled deeply before nodding. "I guess I can't ignore the modern world now…"

Dumbledore opened the door, smiling at him kindly before striding out of the chambers confidently. Merlin grinned weakly before scuttling after him, locking the door behind him with a muttered spell. Dumbledore looked curious, but didn't ask. Merlin fidgeted nervously while he followed Dumbledore through the maze of corridors towards the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore mumbled the password to the gargoyles and they nodded, stepping aside to allow the two warlocks to pass. The gargoyles stared in shock when Merlin stumbled past them and the warlock felt his cheeks burn with heat and glared at the floor.

"Wait here." The Headmaster told him calmly.

Merlin waited anxiously outside the office and jumped when he heard an outburst of arguing from inside the office. Pacing fretfully, he nearly leapt out of his skin when Dumbledore stuck his head around his door, eyes sparkling.

"We are ready for you now." He told the warlock quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin ducked inside the office, lowering his eyes and trundling uneasily. He immediately felt several pairs of eyes on him and blushed. He looked up and instantly wanted to glance downwards at his feet again; he wasn't used to so much attention, and certainly didn't like it. Harry, Hermione and Ron had been quarrelling it seemed, along with Luna and Neville. Even Fred and George were there, dressed in quite smart clothes, with pockets full of their stuff from their joke shop; it seemed as though their parents had explained who Merlin was, because they were staring at him in awe. Remus Lupin, as well as both Molly and Arthur Weasley were standing in the corner, observing, while Mad-Eye Moody and Professor McGonagall looked on. Merlin was stunned to find that Sirius Black was among them, looking healthy and lively.

"Good morning." Mad-Eye growled. "I trust you slept well?"

"Oh, don't be so hard on him, Mad-Eye." Molly scolded him, though it was half-hearted. She turned back to Merlin and gazed at him kindly. "I hope you're feeling better, dear. That was a very nasty wound."

"T-thanks?" Merlin stammered, unsure.

"I suppose I should be the one thanking you." Sirius said sincerely, stepping forwards, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. "It has come to my understanding that you brought me back from the dead."

"Well… it wasn't really like that…" Merlin stuttered, his cobalt eyes shadowed.

"You may have forgotten, but we do know who you are." Lupin reminded him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Merlin admitted. "But bringing people back to life is complicated."

"You brought my godfather back to life." Harry spoke up. There was no resent in his voice, just pure gratitude. "Thank you."

Merlin quickly countered, "It was no trouble."

"You collapsed afterwards." Hermione pointed out shortly. It was hard to sense whether or not she was annoyed, afraid, or awed.

"Occupational hazard." Merlin replied smoothly.

Harry shuffled forwards. "Look… _Merlin_." He said, saying Merlin's name out loud for the first time in the room. Merlin flinched visibly while the others coughed and kicked the ground. "I really appreciate what you did to save my godfather. No matter what the others think… I trust you."

Merlin beamed. "Thanks, Harry."

"I trust you too!" Ginny piped up.

"And me." Ron added.

"And me." Hermione seconded.

"I'm grateful, really." Merlin told them thankfully, relieved. "For over five hundred years I've been hiding… okay, so maybe from execution for the first two hundred… but I'm glad I don't have to hide any more." He turned to Harry seriously. "I fulfilled my destiny when I helped Arthur create Albion… now it's time for me to help you with yours."

"I have a… destiny?" Harry asked, confused.

Merlin turned to Dumbledore, shooting him an accusing look. "You didn't tell him?"

"It was not yet the right time." Dumbledore answered smoothly.

Merlin scowled inwardly. This was just like his situation with Arthur… He wheeled back to Harry and quickly explained; "You are destined to defeat Voldemort and bring peace among all magic and non-magic users. I'm supposed to help you and restore the Ways of the Old Religion afterwards, with your help."

"I…" Harry looked lost for words. "I don't know what to say."

"I'm guessing Dumbledore has told you about the prophecy?"

Harry nodded. "What's that got to do with it?"

"Everything." Was Merlin's reply.

The warlock spent the rest of the day explaining the links of the prophecy to his destiny to Harry and speaking to the members of the Order about his past and his years serving Arthur in Camelot. Most of them were shocked when they discovered Merlin's losses and felt much sympathy for him, but the warlock waved it away, stating that it was all in the past, although it stung him viciously to be reliving his tales of his time with Arthur, Gwen, Gaius and the Knights of the Round Table.

Fred and George were able to lighten the mood though: "You were King Arthur's _servant_?"

"Yep." Merlin laughed. "The one and only."

"What, so you had to do chores and stuff?" Fred asked, disbelievingly.

Merlin laughed again. "Yes. I had to clean Arthur's chambers, dress him each morning, undress him each evening, serve him breakfast, lunch and dinner, prepare him baths, clean his armour and sword, go with him on daft quests and stupid patrols and also muck out the stables. And also you have to add the fact that I saved his bloody life every week for no extra charge and got terrible wages, and also got myself injured weekly for him, to save his royal arse. Believe me, that wound I got earlier is a pinprick compared to what I've had to cope with. Cross bow wounds _hurt_."

That evening, the rest of the Order pledged their alliances with Merlin, promising to keep his secret hidden. Merlin, meanwhile, would stay in the chambers of the House of Pendragon until the school year ended, which was in a few days time. It seemed that all the Order and DA members who knew about him were treating him like a hero, with the greatest respect.

When night began to fall, Merlin wished the Order and the members of the DA good night and then began making his way to his chambers in the darkness. He reached his new chambers and locked himself inside, relieved but exhausted. Merlin was ecstatic that they had accepted him for who he was – it was as if his dreams had come to life. He suddenly found himself wishing that Arthur had been as calm when he had found out that his manservant was a sorcerer. When Arthur had yelled at him to get away, with fear, terror and betrayal in his eyes, it had torn Merlin apart.

He found himself remembering Arthur when he looked around the chambers of the House of Pendragon. These chambers looked remarkably like Arthur's. Sighing, memories clouding his mind, Merlin clambered into bed and lay, motionless, under the duvet.

Pushing away thoughts of Camlann and Camelot, Merlin slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

_HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED RETURNS_

_'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned to this country and is once more active._

_"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord – well, you know who I mean – is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reporters. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the Dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe the Dementors are currently taking direction from Lord – Thingy._

_"We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defence which will be delivered free to all wizarding homes within the coming month."_

_The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the wizarding community, which as recently last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumours that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more"._

_Details of the events that let to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, thought it is believed that He Who Must Not Be Named and a select band of follows (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening._

_Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has so far been unavailable for comment. He had insisted over the past year that You-Know-Who is not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but is recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile, the "Boy Who Lived" –_

"There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow." said Hermione, looking over the top of the paper at him.

They were in the hospital wing. Harry was sitting on the end of Ron's bed (he had injured himself quite severely) and they ere both listening to Hermione read the front page of the _Sunday Prophet_. Ginny, whose ankle had been mended in a trice by Madam Pomfrey, was curled up at foot of Hermione's bed; Neville, whose nose had likewise been returned to its normal size and shape, was in a chair between the two beds, and Luna, who had dropped in to visit, clutching the latest edition of _The Quibbler,_ was reading the magazine upside-down and apparently not taking in a word Hermione was saying.

"He's the "boy who lived" again now, though, isn't he?" said Ron darkly. "Not such a deluded show-off any more, eh?"

"Yes, they're very complimentary about you know, Harry," said Hermione, scanning down the article. "_A lone voice of truth… perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story… forced to bear ridicule and slander… _Hmm," she said, frowning, "I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering in the _Prophet…"_

She winced slightly and put a hand to her ribs. The curse Dolohov had used on her, though less effecting that it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless caused, in Madam Pomfrey's words, 'quite enough damage to be going on with'. Hermione was having to take ten different types of potion ever day, was improving greatly, and was already bored with the hospital wing.

"They haven't mentioned Merlin, though, have they?" Ginny piped up in a disapproving tone. "He was the real hero, he fought You-Know-Who, and they haven't even mentioned him!"

The hospital wing doors burst open suddenly, causing them all to whip around. Merlin strolled in, hands in pockets, whistling cheerfully. "Oh, are you reading the _Prophet?" _he asked curiously.

"Yes, they haven't even said a word about you." Neville told him.

Merlin shrugged. "I don't really mind, I never wanted fame and glory."

"Have they written anything else about the Ministry?" Ron asked, frowning.

Hermione flicked out the paper again. "_You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter, page nine… _Well," said Hermione, folding up the newspaper and throwing it aside, "it's certainly given them lots to write about. And that interview with Harry isn't exclusive; it's the one that was in _The Quibbler _months ago…"

"Daddy sold it to them," said Luna vaguely, turning a page of _The Quibbler. _"He got a very good price for it, too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer to see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Hermione seemed to struggle with herself for a moment, then said, "That sounds lovely."

Ginny caught Harry's eye and looked away quickly, grinning. Even Merlin seemed to be withholding fits of laughter. Merlin was laughing inside; there was no such thing as a Snorkack. They would only exist if a Wyvern has mated with a unicorn, and that was pretty unlikely.

"So anyway, what's going on in school?" Hermione asked, sitting up a little straighter and wincing again.

"I can fix your ribs, if you want." Merlin stated, a matter-of-factly.

"You can?" Hermione's eyes shone. "Oh, please, please do!"

Merlin's eyes flashed gold as he murmured a spell under his breath. Immediately there was a snap and Hermione sighed with relief, the pain dulling considerably. She thanked him graciously, but he once again just replied that it was no trouble.

"Well, Flitwick's got rid of Fred and George's swamp," said Ginny, "He did it in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window, and he's roped it off –"

"Why?" said Hermione, looking startled.

"Oh, he just says it was a really good bit of magic," said Ginny, shrugging.

"I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George," said Ron, though a mouthful of chocolate. "They sent me all of these sweets, you know," he told Harry, pointing at a small mountain of Frogs beside him. "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh?"

Hermione looked rather disapproving, while Merlin just smirked, amused. She asked, "So has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?"

"Yes," said Neville, "everything's settled right back to normal." His eyes flickered towards Merlin. "Well… except…"

"Don't worry about insulting me, I'm to it by now." Merlin reassured him with a smile. "Lord knows, I got it from Arthur all the time."

"I s'pose Filch is happy, is he?" asked Ron, drawing the uncomfortably subject of Camelot and Merlin's past away, propping two Chocolate Frog Cards, featuring both Dumbledore and merlin, against his water jug.

"Not at all," said Ginny. "He's really, really miserable, actually…" She lowered her voice to whisper. "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts…"

All seven of them looked around. Professor Umbridge was lying in a bed opposite them, gazing up at the ceiling. Dumbledore had strode into the forest, along with Merlin, to rescue her from the centaurs. Apparently, the centaurs followed the Old Ways of the Old Religion and thought of Merlin as their god, so gladly handed Umbridge over. Since she had returned to the castle she had not, as far as any of them knew, uttered a single word. Nobody really knew what was wrong with her, either. Her usually neat mousy hair was very untidy and there were still bits of twigs and leaves in it, but otherwise she seemed quite unscathed.

"Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," whispered Hermione.

"Sulking, more like," said Ginny.

"She's been through quite an ordeal." Merlin told them.

"Are you defending her?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"No." said Merlin shortly. "From what I understand she was a horrible teacher and a complete monster to children. But if you had been taken hostage by centaurs, you would be in shock too."

"She shows signs of life if you do this," said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-clopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt upright, looking around wildly.

"Anything wrong, Professor?" called Madam Pomfrey, poking her head around her office door, ignoring Merlin and just turning to her patient.

"No… no…" said Umbridge, sinking back into her pillows; "No, I must have been dreaming…"

Hermione and Ginny muffled their laughter in the bedclothes, while Merlin glared at Ron scoldingly.

"Stop it, Ron." Merlin told him firmly. "Imagine if you were in that position. Now, come here and I'll give you a spell to ease the pain…"

After Merlin had performed spells on both Ginny and Ron to help with the pain, he left the hospital wing to meet with Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey released Ginny, Ron and Hermione, shocked with their sudden recovery (that had happened within moments), though she said nothing.

"Where are you going?" asked Ron suspiciously as Harry broke off from the group as they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, where students were eating lunch, chatting happily.

"Sirius." Harry replied with a grin.

Ginny stopped beside Ron, frowning. "I thought he went back to Headquarters with Lupin and Tonks?"

"He did." Harry said. "But now Umbridge is no longer Headmistress, I can speak to him freely through the fire."

"Oh! Well, say hello to him for us." Hermione told him with a smile.

Harry waved as he strode away, leaving the rest of the group to enter the Great Hall for lunch. He decided that before he'd speak to Sirius, he'd check on how Hagrid was doing.

The castle seemed very quiet even for a Sunday. Everybody was clearly in the sunny grounds , enjoying the end of their exams and the prospect of a last few days of term unhampered by revision or homework. Harry walked slowly along the deserted corridor, peering out of windows as he went; he could see people messing around in the air over the Quidditch pitch and a couple of students swimming n the lake, accompanied by the giant squid.

He was finding it hard to decide whether he wanted to be with people or not; whenever he was in company he wanted to get away and whenever he was alone he wanted company.

He was of course delighted that his godfather was still alive and happy, and that his friends were safe from harm, but the prophecy and his destiny just kept on making their way into his mind. He thought that he would never be free again. Would he always just be a tool of prophecy and Magic? Was this how Merlin felt? Harry thought he might really go and visit Hagrid, though, as he had not talked to him properly since he'd returned…

Harry had just descended the last marble step into the Entrance Hall when Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle emerged from a door on the right that Harry knew led down to the Slytherin common room. Harry stopped dead; so did Malfoy and the others. The only sounded were the shouts, laughter and splashes drifting into the Hall from the grounds through the open front doors.

Malfoy glanced around – Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers – then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Funny," he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around."

Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him; he felt a king of detached satisfaction at the sight of his pale, pointed face contorted with rage.

"You're going to pay," said Malfoy, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "_I'm _going to make you pay for what you've done to my father…"

"Well, I'm terrified now," said Harry sarcastically. "I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up compared to you three – what's the matter?" he added, for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had all looked stricken at the sound of the name. "He's a mate of your dad, isn't he? Not scared of him, are you?"

"You think you're such a big man, Potter," said Malfoy, advancing now, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison –"

"I thought I just had," said Harry.

"The Dementors have left Azkaban," said Malfoy quietly. "Dad and the others'll be out in no time…"

"Yeah, I expect they will," said Harry. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now –"

Malfoy's hand flew towards his wand, but Harry was too quick for him; he had drawn his own wand before Malfoy's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes. Suddenly, Harry found that he was not alone.

Merlin had appeared beside him and had his own hand outstretched, glowering at the three Slytherin's, his cobalt eyes sparkling with fury. Malfoy hesitated, not knowing who this new stranger was, and Crabbe and Goyle backed up a bit, confusion lighting their faces.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Merlin told them warningly.

"Who are you?" Malfoy asked, a hint of fear in his tone now.

"Your worst nightmare." Merlin growled back.

He stepped forwards menacingly, placing Harry behind him, and Malfoy and his two 'body-guards' scrambled backwards, leering, their wands pointed at Merlin threateningly, though their hands were shaking.

"Potter!"

The voice rang out across the Entrance Hall. Snape had emerged from the staircase leading to his office and at the sight of him Harry felt a great wash of hatred beyond anything he had felt towards Malfoy… whatever Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape… never… Harry could tell Merlin was feeling resentful towards the potions master as well; the warlock gritted his teeth and slowly lowered his hand, stepping backwards, away from Malfoy to stand beside Harry, arms folded tightly across his chest.

"What are you doing, Potter?" said Snape, as coldly as ever, as he strode over to the five of them. "Who is your friend?"

"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," said Harry fiercely.

"I would recommend the Bat-Bogey hex, Harry," replied Merlin just as coldly. "Or maybe the Jelly-Legs jinx."

Snape stared at them both. "Put that wand away at once," he said curtly to Harry, though he said nothing to Merlin. "Ten points from Gryff-"

Snape looked towards the giant hourglasses on the walls and gave a sneering smile.

"Ah, I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to –"

"Add some more?"

Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle; she was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked well. Harry immediately grinned, and Merlin winked at her.

McGonagall had been released a few days ago from St Mungo's, but today was her official release day. Nobody except a few members of the Order and the DA knew she was already back at school and had been at the Ministry for the fight. Today was the day she was officially returning back to the school.

"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forwards. "Out of St Mungo's, I see!"

"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her travelling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two – Crabbe – Goyle –"

She beckoned them forwards imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.

"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "Take these up to my office for me."

They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase. Malfoy now looked slightly terrified since his back-up had vanished, so shifted closer to Snape. McGonagall strolled up and strode between Harry and Merlin and even put her arms around them both, like they were her sons. Snape narrowed his eyes and glared at Merlin slightly.

"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hour-glasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"

"What?" snapped Snape, though both Harry and Merlin knew he had heard perfectly well. "Oh – well – I suppose…"

"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hour-glass as she spoke. "Oh – and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass. "Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr Potter, I think, Professor Snape – so there we are…"

A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless. Then, Merlin coughed slightly, catching McGonagall's eye, giving her a cheeky glance.

"Oh, and of course, I can't forget Mr Emrys." McGonagall beamed as Snape's jaw slacked slightly. "For fighting You-Know-Who single-handedly, I think more than fifty… a hundred points I think would do it."

Malfoy's eyes bulged and Snape looked completely stunned, shocked silence, unable to speak for once. Harry shot a surprised look at Merlin and the warlock smiled slyly at him.

"What house are you in, Mr Emrys?" McGonagall asked, turning to Merlin.

"Oh, I think you'll find that I'm a firm supporter of Gryffindor." Merlin told her.

Quite a number of rubies fell into the Gryffindor glass, glimmering slightly. For a few seconds they switched from a blood-red crimson to a powerful, burning gold, the colour that Merlin's eyes turned when he performed Old Magic, but then they turned red again. Harry glanced at Merlin, and saw his eyes were glistening with tears as he stared at the ground, obviously thinking about Arthur and the House of Pendragon, whose colours were red and gold. McGonagall

"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," Professor McGonagall continued briskly. "And Mr Emrys, if you come with me to my office, please…"

Harry did not need telling twice; he clapped Merlin once on the shoulder before he thrust his wand inside his robes and headed straight for the front doors, without another glance at Snape and Malfoy. McGonagall walked away with Merlin at her side, leaving Professor Snape standing in the Entrance Hall with Malfoy. Harry smirked when he heard Snape unleash a burst of outrage on Malfoy and Malfoy stammering excuses.

This was turning out to be one of the best days ever.

* * *

That night, when Harry returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, he was surprised to find Merlin waiting for him, sitting in front of the fire. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny had retired to bed, since it was nearly midnight, but it seemed that Merlin wasn't tired at all.

"Hello, Harry." He said, staring into the flames. "You know, I like the fact that you keep your enemies close; but maybe you keep Mr Malfoy a little _too _close."

"Thanks about earlier today," Harry said, slightly embarrassed.

"No problem." Merlin shrugged. "I remember what it was like to have an arch-enemy in my youth."

"You had an enemy?" Harry said, surprised. Then he mentally slapped himself. "Oh, yeah, Morgana…."

"I don't like to talk about it." Merlin sighed.

"Of course." Harry said quickly.

Harry sat down in the opposite armchair, warming his hands by the fire, slipping off his shoes and socks to toast his toes. The flames crackled slightly and emitted a deep orange glow that shadows across the whole room. Merlin muttered under his breath, and his eyes burned gold; the ashes and sparks from the blaze ignited and floated upwards to create the form of a flame-dragon that roared silently once before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Harry," Merlin said suddenly, "What would you say if I told you that Dumbledore and McGonagall are sending me home with you this summer, to live with the Dursleys, to protect you?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, that would be the day, eh?" He stopped instantly when he saw Merlin's serious face. "You're…" he gasped, "You're serious?"

"What's Privet Drive like?" Merlin asked innocently.

Harry jumped up and hugged Merlin tightly. He had not had a proper hug in months and he laughed disbelievingly. Merlin, _the _Merlin, the _Merlin, _was going to stay with him at Privet Drive, with the Dursleys? Impossible… unbelievable.

"I can't believe this." Harry confessed, excitement coursing through his body. "Thank you!"

"I had one condition though." Merlin admitted, laughing, grinning broadly.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"I'm allowed to use Old Magic while staying with you." Merlin chuckled.

Harry smiled, unable to stop, "Merlin's beard, this is going to be one _hell _of a summer."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

The journey home on the Hogwarts Express the next day was eventful in several ways. Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of DA members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rushed to Harry's aid.

By the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniform as Harry, Ernie and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze.

"I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing Malfoy's mother's face when he gets off the train," said Ernie, with some satisfaction, as he watched Malfoy squirm above him. Ernie had never quite got over the indignity of Malfoy docking points from Hufflepuff during his brief spell as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad.

"Goyle's mum'll be really pleased, though," said Ron, who had come to investigate the source of the commotion. "He's loads better-looking now… hey, Harry, you'll never guess what happened." He leaned in, whispering, "Merlin fought off Zabini Blaise and Pansy Parkinson. Did it with a snap of his fingers. Some Ravenclaws had to carry them both to the on-train Healer… They attacked him too. Seems the Slytherins' aren't that happy with you two… Come on, he wants to ask you about the Dursleys."

Harry thanked the others and accompanied Ron back to their compartment, where he bought a large pile of cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties. Hermione was reading the _Daily Prophet _again, Ginny was doing a quiz in _The Quibbler_ and Neville was stroking his _Mimbulus mimbletonia_, which had grown a great deal over the year and now made odd crooning noises when touched. Merlin was simply curled up in the corner of the compartment, staring out the window; he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since breakfast that morning, and hadn't spoken since he had clambered onto the train.

Harry and Ron whiled away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read snippets from the _Prophet. _It was now full on articles about how to repel Dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning…

"It hasn't really started yet," sighed Hermione gloomily, folding up the newspaper again. "But it won't be long now…"

Merlin sighed, speaking for the first time. "It won't be long before people start going into hiding like last time, in fear of their lives."

"Did you go into hiding?" Ginny asked curiously.

Merlin turned away, looking back out the window, his eyes glazed over slightly, as if recalling some lost memory. "I've been in hiding ever since Camlann."

Nobody spoke after that. Ron began to beat Harry at wizard's chess, so Ginny opted to help him. Slowly, the team of Ginny and Harry started to come back. Hermione just watched with raised eyebrows. Merlin went back to gazing out the window.

"Hey, Harry," said Ron softly, nodding towards the glass window on to the corridor.

Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava. His and Cho's eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept on walking. Harry looked back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ron's knight. Even Merlin had turned around and frowned as Cho walked briskly away.

Merlin cocked his head at Harry. "Old girlfriend of yours, I'm guessing?"

"You haven't heard half of it," Ginny murmured to him.

"What's – er – going on with you and her, anyway?" Ron asked quietly.

"Nothing," said Harry truthfully.

"I – er – heard she's going out with someone else now," said Hermione tentatively.

Harry was surprised to find that this information did not hurt at all. Wanting to impress Cho seemed to belong to the past that was no longer quite connected with him; all he could think about now was the prophecy and his destiny.

"You're well out of it, mate," said Ron forcefully. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," said Harry, shrugging.

"Who's she with now, anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, but it was Ginny who answered.

"Michael Corner," she said.

"Michael – but –" said Ron, craning around in his seat to stare at her. "But you were going out with him!"

"Not any more," said Ginny resolutely. "He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch, and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to Cho instead." She scratched her nose absently with the end of her quill, turned _The Quibbler _upside-down and began marking her answers. Ron looked highly delighted.

"Well, I always thought he was an idiot," he said, prodding his queen forwards towards Harry's quivering castle. "Good for you. Just chose someone – better – next time."

"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" asked Ginny vaguely.

"WHAT?" shouted Ron, upending the chessboard; Crookshanks went plunging after the pieces and Hedwig and Pigwidgeon twittered and hooted angrily from overhead. "You can't just – that's not – you can't just switch boyfriends in a couple of days! Merlin, tell her!"

Merlin didn't reply, but instead his eyes clouded over and he curled up a bit tighter.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed. "How could you be so horrible?"

"What? I just said –"

"He's lived for over five hundred years, Ron!" Hermione reminded him, whispering. "He would have watched all the people he loved wither away and die before his eyes, while he knew that he never age, never die, always to live on alone."

Ron turned away and didn't say anything for the rest of the journey.

As the train slowed down in the approach to King's Cross, Harry thought he had never wanted to leave it less. He wondered fleetingly what would happen if he simply refused to get off, but stubbornly remained sitting there until the first of September, when it would take him back to Hogwarts.

When it finally puffed to a standstill, however, he lifted down Hedwig's cage and prepared to drag his trunk from the train as usual. He had almost forgotten that Merlin was going home with him when Merlin offered to carry Hedwig's cage for him; the warlock had no luggage and instead could simply enchant his own belongings to appear in Privet Drive when he wanted them.

When the ticket inspector signalled to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Merlin that it was safe to walk though the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten, he found that Merlin hung back a bit, unsure, looking nervous. He reassured his friend that he would be fine, and they both made it through the barrier safely. However, he found a surprise awaiting him on the other side: a group of people standing there to greet them who he had not expected at all.

There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without it, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous travelling cloak. Tonks stood just behind him, her bright bubble-gum-pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass of the station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple t-shirt bearing the legend _The Weird Sisters_. Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair greying, a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers. At the front of the group stood Mr and Mrs Weasley, dressed in their Muggle best, and Fred and George, who were both wearing brand-new jackets in some lurid green, scaly material. Harry's heart leapt, however, when he saw the large shaggy black dog lying on the ground next to Lupin's feet however, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, eyes shining. Harry smiled and he noticed Merlin grimacing slightly beside him.

"Ron, Ginny!" called Mrs Weasley, hurrying forwards and hugging her children tightly. "Oh, are you two alright? How have the last few days of term been? Oh, Ginny, your ankle's healed! Merlin, where is your luggage? You haven't got any? Oh – and Harry dear, how are you?"

"Fine," lied Harry, as she pulled him into a tight embrace. The truth was he really wasn't looking forwards to this summer, despite the fact that Merlin would be there with him. With Voldemort about, trouble was sure to be brewing. Over his shoulder he saw Ron goggling at the twins' new clothes.

"What are _they _supposed to be?" he asked, pointing at the jackets.

Merlin looked slightly disgusted as he answered for them. "Dragonskin."

Fred and George looked at each other, horrified. They seemed to have forgotten that Merlin was the last Dragon Lord, so he would have connections to all the dragons of the world. "Merlin, we're sorry, we didn't –"

"No, it's fine." Merlin lied, squeezing a weak smile onto his face. "Seriously, I don't mind…"

"How could you afford them?" Ron asked, seemingly stunned.

"Business is blooming and we thought we'd treat ourselves," said Fred, giving is zip a little tweak.

"Hello, Harry," said Lupin, as Mrs Weasley let go of Harry to greet Hermione.

The black dog rushed forwards and hauled himself into Harry's arms. Harry laughed as he hugged his godfather and laughed even harder when Sirius scraped his slobbery tongue over his cheek.

"Hi," said Harry, smiling. "I didn't expect… what are you all doing here?"

Sirius growled slightly and the members of the Order all glanced at each other. Merlin narrowed his eyes at them, while Harry merely looked curious.

"Well," said Lupin with a slight smile, "We thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you – and Merlin – home."

"I dunno if that's a good idea," said Harry at once.

"Oh, I think it is," growled Moody, who had limped a little closer. "Dumbledore has been in contact with them, they know perfectly well who they're havin' as a guest this summer." His magical eye swept over Merlin and the warlock blushed slightly. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?"

He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering though the back of his head and his bowler hat. Harry leaned an inch or so to the left to see where Mad-Eye was pointing and there, sure enough, were the three Dursleys, who looked positively appalled to see Harry's reception committee.

Merlin grimaced. "They don't look very happy."

"They're never happy if I'm involved," Harry sighed.

"Ah, Harry, Merlin!" said Mr Weasley, turning from Hermione's parents, who he had just greeted enthusiastically, and who were now taking it in turns to hug Hermione. "Well – shall we do it, then?"

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," said Moody.

Merlin flinched outwardly at that, and they pretended not to have noticed. Moody and Mr Weasley took the lead across the station towards the Dursleys, who were apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group and linked arms with Merlin to give him some confidence. The warlock did not look very comfortable in the Muggle station and was looking about sharply, as if expecting somebody to attack him.

"Good afternoon," said Mr Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon as he came to a halt right in front of him. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley."

As Mr Weasley had single-handedly demolished most of the Dursleys living room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered four to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed; she kept glancing around, as Dudley, meanwhile seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry," said Mr Weasley, still smiling, "And also your little _guest _for the summer."

"Yeah," growled Moody. "About how they'll both be treated when they're at your place."

Uncle Vernon's moustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Aunt Petunia and Dudley, meanwhile, were staring at Merlin with wide, terrified eyes, knowing fully well know he was and the power he possessed thanks to Dumbledore. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken impression that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, Uncle Vernon addressed himself to Moody.

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house –"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursleys," growled Moody.

"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, whose hair seemed to offend Aunt Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find that that you've been horrible to either Harry or Merlin –"

"- And make no mistake, we'll hear about it," added Lupin, while Sirius growled threateningly beside him, hackles raised, looking more like an angry wolf than a dog.

"Yes," said Mr Weasley, "Even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone –"

"_Telephone_," whispered Hermione.

"– Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter or Merlin have been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.

Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh even his fear of this bunch of oddballs. Sirius snarled at Vernon and Petunia and slunk over to brush up against both Merlin and Harry. A vein bulged out of uncle Vernon's fat forehead in fury and he stamped his foot down.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" he said, so loudly that passers-by actually turned to stare.

"Yes, I am," said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolting revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backwards in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. Sirius growled loudly, gnashing his canine teeth, fur on end; Harry knelt down to stroke the dog's head, while Merlin snorted with laughter. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley."

He turned from Uncle Vernon to Harry. "So, Potter… give us a shout if you need us. Merlin'll keep 'em in check for you. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send somebody along… Padfoot, perhaps?"

The black dog gave a sly canine smile, bearing his frankly large fangs while he thumped Merlin's leg with his thick tail. Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbours would say if they caught sight of these people and the massive wolf-dog marching up the garden path.

Sirius nosed his godson and Harry embraced him tightly. "I'll see you soon, right?" Harry asked hopefully. The dog grunted once, which Harry took as a yes. "Stay safe." He released his Animagus godfather and the dog trotted back over to Lupin, but not before he gave Merlin a large wet lick.

"Bye then, Potter," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand. He turned to Merlin and simply nodded. Merlin nodded firmly back. "Keep him safe, Mr Emrys."

"Take care, Harry, Merlin," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."

"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs Weasley whispered, hugging him again. She then proceeded to give Merlin the biggest hug any of them had ever seen. "Merlin, don't be reckless, alright? You're precious to the Order, stay safe."

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs Weasley," Merlin assured her with a grin, "I'll be perfectly fine." He reached downwards with his hand and curled it around Excalibur, which was in settled safely in the belt sheath. Non-magical people could not see it, but apparently the Dursleys could, because they all squeaked in fear, eyes bulging out of their heads.

"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand. "Oh, and keep Merlin out of trouble…"

"Oi!"

"Really soon, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "We promise. Both of you, be careful, alright?"

"I'll take good care of him, I swear," Merlin promised them sincerely, his cobalt eyes shining with honesty.

"Hey, won't it be me looking after you?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I've seen how much trouble you get into…" Merlin smiled at him. "I think your going to a much bigger challenge than Arthur ever was."

Harry laughed; "I don't know whether that's a compliment or an insult, but thanks."

Harry nodded at his friends and family. He somehow could not find words to tell them what it meant to him, to see them all ranged there, on his side. Instead, he smiled, raised a hand in farewell, turned around and led the way out of the station towards the sunlit street, the greatest warlock to ever live walking by his side, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley hurrying along in their wake.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216, WHO I AM MANAGING TO PURSUADE YAY!)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

The car journey back to Surrey was long – too long, in Merlin's opinion. He, Harry and Dudley were squashed together in the back seats of a little silver Honda, while Petunia sat, shaking in the passenger seat and Vernon drove. Dudley spent most of the journey staring at Merlin with wide, terrified eyes and Petunia turned around every five seconds to insure that her car was not being ripped to pieces. Merlin sank back in his seat and glanced at Harry, who gazed back at him.

_This is what it's like every year_, Harry's expression told.

"So!" Vernon said, in a sneering voice, "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," Merlin replied back, "But it's Merlin Emrys."

"That's what the crummy, bearded man said," said Vernon, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "How old are you? I'm guessing you're fifteen… like him."

"No, actually," Merlin said brightly. "I'm over five hundred years old and I was born during the Great Purge, which was during Uther's reign over Camelot."

Uncle Vernon choked on his mint and Aunt Petunia gripped the edge of her chair, terrified. Dudley leaned away from him looking half-disgusted and half-fearful.

Vernon cleared his throat, stating, "I'm guessing your one of _them_."

"If you mean wizard, then yeah," Merlin answered, looking out the window at the motorway. "I have magic; have since the moment I was born."

Vernon's face transformed into one of angry red fury as he yelled, "I will not tolerate that _nonsense _in my house! Do I make myself clear?"

Merlin's heart sunk instantly. Damn it. Vernon could very well be a reincarnated Uther. Swallowing, he turned to look at Harry, who had an expression of disdain on his face as he glared at his aunt and uncle. They sat in silence for the rest of the journey, just breathing, not saying a word.

Finally, they pulled up onto their driveway on Privet Drive and yanked the keys out of the car. The engine stalled for a second, then purred into silence. Awkwardly, they all sat, motionless. After what seemed to be a long time, Vernon and Petunia clambered out of the car, slamming their doors behind them. Dudley scrambled after them, not even bothering to look back at the magical pair.

Harry turned to Merlin, sympathetic. "Sorry about them. For future reference, don't even mention magic around them. They'll go nuts. They don't like magic much."

"Yes, I could tell," Merlin murmured quietly. "If they hate magic… then they're not going to like me much."

"Just… don't use magic and you'll be fine," Harry told him, unclipping his seatbelt.

Merlin grimaced. "Harry, I probably should have told you this before, but if I don't use my magic, I will die."

Harry immediately froze half-way between the door frames as he slipped out of the car. He sat back down with a thump, silent, before wheeling back to Merlin. "Seriously?"

Merlin nodded, completely serious. "Back when I was young, I once tried to stop using magic for a week… I was around seven then, I think."

"What happened?" Harry asked, his eyes as round as plates.

Merlin turned away, looking out of the other window, looking uncomfortable. "I got a terrible fever, was sick every time I ate, and I collapsed twice." He stopped, and then added, "And that was after one day."

Harry's jaw dropped in horror and he peered out the car window to narrow his eyes at the Dursleys, who were now struggling to unlock their house door as quickly as possible. "Just…" he sighed. "Be careful."

"Always am," Merlin countered, with a weak smile.

Both of them climbed out of the car, closing the doors behind gently. Merlin helped Harry carry his extremely heavy trunk inside and then rushed back out to grab Hedwig out of the boot before Vernon could lock the car with the snowy owl still inside. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley then went on living as normal as if Harry and Merlin weren't even there. Harry rolled his eyes at them as they immediately switched on the TV and settled down on sofas to watch. Harry then began to lug his trunk up the stairs. He had only dragged it up three steps and by then, he was sweating heavily, looking exhausted. None of the Dursleys seemed to care.

"Here, let me help," Merlin whispered. He glanced behind him to check the Dursleys weren't looking and then murmured, "_Úpáhebban"_, his cobalt blue eyes flashing a burning gold.

Harry gasped silently as a golden aura floated around his trunk and it slowly began to levitate itself up the stairs. He turned to Merlin, mouth open and eyes massive as the warlock smirked and lifted his finger to his lips, signalling for silence. There was a thump as the trunk crashed back down to earth on the landing above. Harry and Merlin legged it upstairs, unable to stop themselves laughing. It was then that they yanked the trunk by hand into Harry's tiny room in the corner of the house.

"It's not much," Harry sighed, motioning to the mouldy socks and clothes strewn around the floor, the unmade bed and the dusty curtains. "But there's a wardrobe and a bed and a set of drawers."

Merlin set Hedwig's cage down on the tabletop and the owl hooted at him eagerly spreading her wings out in the cage, jumping about. Merlin unlatched the cage door and Hedwig fluttered from her cage perch onto Merlin's shoulder, nipping his cheek appreciatively. Merlin grimaced as he looked around Harry's room; a cracked mirror, worn bedstead, old sheets and broken curtains… they Dursleys called _this _generosity?

"Well, it's better then I had in Camelot," Merlin admitted. "Twice as large, for one thing. I didn't really notice. I only saw it for about two hours at night in complete darkness, because of my job serving Arthur…"

"Really?" Harry sounded surprised. "Huh, I thought that I had it bad… it must have been hell for you."

"I didn't know any different," Merlin confessed truthfully, stroking Hedwig under her beak, smiling when she leaned into his touch. "So, where do you want me to sleep?"

"You take my bed," Harry told him, beginning to unpack.

Merlin blinked. "No, Harry," he protested, "I can't ask you to give your bed up for me. This is where you live!"

"No, really, I don't mind. You're injured, for one thing," Harry reminded him.

Merlin grimaced, remembering. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt to examine the bandages wrapped tightly and painfully around his injured shoulder. He had muttered a healing and pain-dulling spell on the train to make the journey bearable and the terrible sensation of agony was beginning to come back. He murmured another quick spell and the burning sensation covering his shoulder vanished.

"It doesn't hurt," Merlin lied, gazing at Harry with narrowed eyes.

"It does, you just said a spell to stop it hurting," Harry told him, not turning around. "Just remember, it's a small room and I can hear everything you're saying while we're both in here. You're taking the bed."

Merlin's eyes flashed gold once more, and a camp bed appeared and set itself out underneath the window. Merlin strode over to it and plonked down on it, arms crossed. He undid the buckle attaching the sheath to his belt and gently placed Excalibur down on bed's small red pillow, as if the sword was made of glass. Harry raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything; he began unpacking his trunk from Hogwarts, and Merlin rose to help him, but Harry waved him down; he didn't need help right now. Inhaling deeply, Harry gently pulled his wand out of his jean pocket and set it down on his bedside table. It felt terrible parting with it, but he knew it had to be done.

"Hedwig seems to like you," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood after parting with his wand and the awkward moment with Excalibur.

"Yes, I have that sort of effect on animals," Merlin said, with an amused smirk, as he petted Hedwig and she cooed in delight.

"Do you have any pets?" Harry asked curiously.

Merlin shrugged. "I have Aithusa, though you can't really call her a pet. Oh, she's a dragon," he added, when Harry shot him a questioning look. "She's an Old Dragon from the Age of the Old Religion, she can talk."

"_Talk?" _Harry echoed, stunned. "A _talking dragon?" _He'd never heard of a talking dragon before.

"Yep," Merlin said happily. "I hatched her back when Arthur was King." His face fell. "Morgana possessed her magic, and used Aithusa against Camelot. She was unable to escape Morgana's hold. But after I killed Morgana, Aithusa was free. She came back to me, the last Dragon Lord, and I swore to protect her. She's the last of her kind."

"You mentioned a Kilgharrah in your stories earlier," Harry recalled curiously. "I thought he was a dragon too?"

Merlin didn't answer for a while and his eyes were shadowed. It was hard to talk about his past to others. Finally, he said, "Yes, Kilgharrah was an Old Dragon. But he died shortly after Arthur did. He lived to be over five thousand years old. I was with him when he left this world. Kilgharrah lives on in Avalon."

"I'm sorry," Harry immediately apologised when he saw tears making their way into Merlin's eyes. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, you were right to." Merlin disagreed, with a small grin. "It's better for me to let it all out. I've held it within myself for too long, and it was beginning to tear me apart inside. I appreciate it, thank you."

"Maybe when we next go to Diagon Alley, I can buy you an owl?" Harry suggested.

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks." Merlin hesitated, before allowing a grin to spread across his face. "I was thinking of inventing an Old spell that will allow me to shrink Aithusa, so I can take her to Hogwarts next year. Oh, don't look so surprised," he added, when Harry started at the fact Merlin would be with him next year. "I'll be joining you for your sixth year at Hogwarts. I'll be pretending to look sixteen and have to suppress some of my own magic, but I'll manage. McGonagall and Dumbledore are arranging it."

"No offence, but you don't really look sixteen," Harry told him, with a grimace.

"I can use a glamour spell for that," Merlin said simply.

"Which House will you be in?" Harry questioned him curiously and eagerly. "What will your identity be?"

Merlin thought for a moment before answering, "I won't be in a House and my name will be Merlin Emrys."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"I won't reveal myself to be the _real _Merlin Emrys," Merlin reassured him. "I'll say I'm some druid descendant or something, like his grandson or something, and I've just been named after him."

"You didn't have a grandson," Harry deadpanned.

"No, I didn't, but they won't know that, will they?" Merlin reminded him, smiling.

"How can you not be in a House?" Harry asked him, frowning.

"I'll say it's against druid tradition to be placed into a House you've not been born of, and that my real House is the House of Ambrosius."

"Is it?" Harry questioned him curiously.

"As far as I know, I'm the leaders of the House of Ambrosius and the House of Emrys," Merlin informed him grimly, "And now Guinevere and Arthur's son have died… I'm the head of the House of Pendragon."

"What, you mean you were Arthur's secret brother or something?" Harry gasped excitedly.

"No, no, no!" Merlin yelped, leaping up. "If I was related to Arthur, that would mean I was related to Morgana or Uther! No way! Arthur's son gave me the family seal, that's the only reason I'm the head of that House now."

They spoke no more of the mater and instead decided to tidy up Harry's room. Harry started unpacking again and he and Merlin invented a system to help tidy the room; Harry would hang the clothes on hangers and Merlin would order them in the wardrobe. Using a few wordless enchantments, Merlin rid the room of dust and spider webs and cleaned the sheets. After nearly two hours, the room was completely spotless.

"There, done." Harry announced gleefully.

"I'm amazed, I can actually see the floor," Merlin teased him.

Harry shoved Merlin playfully and they both laughed, collapsing down onto Harry's bed.

"You're like the brother I never had," Harry told Merlin sincerely, emerald eyes shining brightly.

"Same here," Merlin admitted. "Ron teased me back at Hogwarts that I was your secret brother or something, because we look so alike. You know, the dark messy hair, the pale complexion, the terrible sense of humour…"

"Are you saying I have a bad sense of humour?" Harry asked jokingly, raising an eyebrow.

Merlin paused before saying, "Meh…"

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically, grinning.

Suddenly, the door to the room was flung open violently. Both Harry and Merlin leapt to their feet, startled; Harry grabbed his wand and pointed it at the intruder while Merlin aimed his hand at the door, his magic bubbling up to the surface defensively.

When they realised who the intruder was, Harry quickly hid his wand in his jean pocket and Merlin's arm snapped back down to his side. Vernon's beady little eyes swept the room suspiciously, seemingly surprised that it was now in condition fit to live in.

"We're going out," he said shortly, with a slight sneer. "Don't touch the TV or the fridge while we're gone."

With that, he slammed the door shut behind him.

Merlin turned to Harry, confused. "They're going out?"

Harry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "They always do. They always leave me behind," he explained, a little sadly.

"You've never been to a restaurant in your life?" Merlin asked, sounding shocked.

Harry shook his head and Merlin, for a moment, looked outraged at the treatment the Dursleys gave him. Then, the warlock's eyes lit up and a slight smirk edged onto his lips, causing a sinking feeling in Harry's heart.

"Okay, what are you thinking?" Harry asked, "And I know it's not going to be good."

"You've never been to a restaurant; I've never been to a restaurant." Merlin told him, smiling. "Why don't _we _go out, as friends?"

"To a restaurant?" Harry said, stunned. "But I don't have any money."

"Harry, I may be five hundred years old, but I do need to eat and live somewhere you know," Merlin reminded him, grinning. "I'll pay for you."

"McGonagall said not to cause any trouble," Harry began, but then he stopped. It wouldn't do any harm, would it? And after all… he really, _really _wanted to check out that Pizza Express in the town centre… the Dursleys went there all the time, but had always left him behind.

"Ah, now, I see that Harry is thinking this over," Merlin stated, licking his lips. He held out one hand; "Stay at home and be a good little boy or…" He held out the other. "Take a chance when you see it, and don't live to regret it." Merlin grinned, his hands held out, weighing both the options, waiting for Harry to decide.

"The Order will kill me for saying yes," Harry warned him.

"So that's a yes?" Merlin asked excitedly, practically jumping up and down in anticipation.

"No!" Harry protested. "I mean… Ugh, I don't know." He put his head in his hands.

"Come on, live a little."

Harry snorted; "Says the five hundred year old most powerful warlock ever."

"You Only Live Once," Merlin told him, shrugging.

Harry flung his arms into the air, "Eh, fine!"

"Yes," Merlin breathed to himself, fist-punching the air.

"But if the Dursleys catch us, you're the one who's going to explain."

"Hey, I'm Merlin. I always talk my way out of things… in the end."

"That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

"I'm really nervous," Harry whispered fearfully.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Merlin reassured him.

Merlin had used a teleportation spell on himself and Harry when they reached the end of Privet Drive to transport them into the town, and now they were walking unceremoniously towards Pizza Express. They stopped outside the window and checked inside.

"It's really busy," Harry stated. "We won't get a table."

"Yes, we will," Merlin told him, pulling him towards the door.

They entered the restaurant and waited in the queue for around five minutes. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with tangerine lights setting a small scene in front of them. People were chatting cheerfully around tables, munching steaming pizza and spaghetti that looked delicious. Harry's mouth watered at the tasty smell and he licked his lips, looking around anxiously.

"A table for two, please," Merlin said smoothly when a waiter ran up to them.

"I'm sorry, sirs, we're only taking bookings," the waiter informed them.

"Told you," Harry hissed into Merlin's ear.

"Relax, okay?" Merlin whispered back. "Yes, we have a booking, under the name of Potter."

The waiter nodded and scuttled off to the booking list, looking down it with a frown. Merlin's eyes momentarily flashed gold before the tinge vanished and they became blue again. The waiter's eyes settled on a name before he returned to them.

"If you come with me, sirs," he said politely, leading them to a table in the corner.

They sat down and the waiter handed them menus. He vanished to serve some over customers and Harry shot Merlin an accusing look. Merlin shrugged and hid behind the menu. Harry wondered what to order, since there was so much food. He had never had a choice this big in his life. Merlin told him quickly that he could have whatever he wanted and Harry's brain swelled with all the food names and drinks.

Harry ordered Coke while Merlin drank from a glass of water. Then the waiter arrived again and asked what they wanted to eat. Merlin hastily ordered an American pizza, while Harry finally stammered out his reply, that he would like a Romana Hot American.

"I've never done this before," Harry confessed nervously, "So I'm really nervous."

"Same," Merlin replied, with a laugh. "Don't worry, I'll sure we'll both be fine."

Then a terrible feeling hit Harry. "Oh god, what about Voldemort and the Death Eaters? They could be looking for us and they could find and attack –"

"Harry, we'll be fine," Merlin soothed him with a grin. "Simple warding spell and I've already cast it on us both. We're completely safe."

Their pizzas landed on the table and Harry's eyes widened at the sight of his massive plate of pizza. Merlin laughed at his expression and dug in. Harry had only eaten his first piece of pizza when Merlin suddenly dropped his slice, eyes widening in horror and shock, his mouth popping open. Harry instinctively reached for his wand, whipping around.

There, standing in front of them, looking outraged, were the Dursleys.

**MESSAGE FOR SOPHIE (ignore this message if you are not sophie) : PLEASE PM ME SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS! AND YOU KNOW WHAT!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

"What are _you _doing here?" Vernon hissed, voice filled with loathing.

"I could ask you the same question," Merlin spat back, standing up.

"We came here for a nice meal away from the _freaks_." Vernon snarled, pointing a stubby fat finger at them both.

Merlin glowered at them both. "Well then I advise you sit far away from _us_ then."

Vernon, Petunia and Dudley glared at them before settling down onto the table… next to them. Merlin collapsed back down again and Harry was glad that he had his back to the Dursleys. He began eating his pizza slowly again, while Merlin simply glared at the Dursleys. Finally, the warlock began to eat again. They heard the Dursleys order drinks and food and Harry tried to tune them out, making conversation with Merlin.

"When we get back to Hogwarts what subjects will you take?" he asked, attempting to ignore the Dursleys.

"The same subjects as you," Merlin answered shortly and coldly.

Harry paused before stating, "We can move."

"We're not moving." Merlin told him, almost growling. He sounded much like a dragon and it wasn't hard for Harry to see Merlin yowling in Dragon Tongue to the skies. "They can move."

"Merlin –"

"We got here first," Merlin reminded him, tearing his glaring eyes away to gaze at Harry pleasantly. "Come on, let's finish and then we can get out of here. I'll ask for the desserts menu then you can take your pick."

"No, really, it's fine," Harry assured him.

Nevertheless, Merlin inquired for the menu and when they received it he told Harry to choose something out. He tried to argue, but the old warlock could not be shaken from his position. He finally chose the chocolate fudge cake, while Merlin had nothing. The Dursleys were starting on their pizzas when the cake arrived. Harry ate delicately, savouring the flavour. He had never tasted cake so amazing in his life.

Suddenly, Dudley asked, "How ya gonna pay?"

"Yes, you're certainly not using our money," Petunia piped up, glowering at Merlin.

"I am perfectly capable of paying for my own meals," Merlin growled coldly. "And I'm paying for Harry's too, so you can stick your noses in somebody else's business, thank you."

The Dursleys stiffly turned away, offended by Merlin's tone. Harry asked for the bill and when it arrived, Merlin pulled a leather wallet from his jacket pocket and yanked out a wad of cash. He placed it on the tray and waited for the manager to collect it, along with the tip, before rising and leading Harry out of the restaurant without another word towards the Dursleys. They strolled down the street casually, as it was growing dark. They sat down on a bench and watched people walk by, chatting to each other, about Hogwarts and Camelot. Finally, after the moon had half-risen, they got up and began making their way back towards Privet Drive.

"How ya gonna get back home?" asked a voice from behind them.

Merlin didn't turn back, only kept on walking. "None of your business, Dudley."

Butterflies fluttered around Harry's stomach when he risked a glance back. Dudley, along with his gang, was following them. Vernon and Petunia were no where to be seen. Merlin continued walking.

"Don't look back," Merlin told Harry firmly, just about when he was going to. "Don't."

"Why are they following us?" Harry asked.

"Because they're idiots, and it's what they do." Merlin replied. "Here, take my arm."

Harry took it. Merlin breathed in deeply. Then, he began chanting the teleporting spell. Dudley's eyes grew wide with fear and his friends stopped bickering, sprinting off. Merlin paused his chanting, his eyes flashing gold for a seconds before it faded. He gazed at Dudley with appraised eyes.

"Need a life back?" he offered.

"N-not if y-your using _that_ s-stuff," Dudley stammered.

"It will only take a few seconds," Merlin told him. "You won't have to tell anybody."

Dudley hesitated, but then, looking around, he decided to take Merlin's other arm. Merlin resumed his chanting of the spell and with a burn of his topaz eyes, the world blurred around them transforming into the living room of the Dursleys' house. Vernon and Petunia yelped, jumping backwards, as the three boys materialized in the centre of their living room. Merlin stopped chanting, his eyes returning to their normal blue. He and Harry looked at each other before leaving Dudley alone with his parents. Merlin could hear Vernon yelling at him to come back, but ignored him.

Flopping onto the camp bed, Merlin gently picked up Excalibur in his hands. Harry was changing in the corner into his pyjamas, but he really didn't care. Not bothering to change at all, Merlin clambered under the covers, clutching the sheathed Excalibur to his chest. His shoulder pained him dully, and he really couldn't be bothered to heal it now. Harry flicked the lights off, silent, climbing into his own bed.

"Thank you," Harry whispered. "For everything."

"It was no problem."

"It was the best meal I've ever had. Thank you."

"Like I said, no problem." He repeated.

Harry fell into an easy sleep, snoring gently, his wand on his bedside, the darkness not bothering him. Hesitating, Merlin quickly used his elemental magic to lock the door, draw the curtains and place protective spells on both of them. He then lay back, staring at the ceiling. Before forcing himself into an uneasy, uncomfortable sleep.

…..

Harry awoke suddenly. Turning groggily to the side, he saw on his clock that it was barely past two in the morning. It was dark outside, with the stars shining. Grabbing his wand, he reached for his glasses, jamming them onto his face, looking around for the source of what had woken him. He recognized it immediately.

Merlin was thrashing around in his sleep, whimpering, hugging Excalibur to his chest tightly, kicking and punching out, sometimes yelling in pain. "Arthur…" he murmured, "No… Arthur… it's a trap… no… Gwen, innocent… Morgana… Arthur don't… it's Morgana… Morgana… Arthur…"

Harry slipped out of bed and crouched down beside Merlin worriedly. He slowly lifted back the covers and gasped, leaping backwards. A small burning bluish silver light was swirling around in Merlin's right hand, while he grimaced and frowned in pain and agony, lost in his dream. His shoulder bandage had also come undone and the wound had been torn open by his thrashing and was now bleeding heavily, staining the sheets bright red. Panicking, Harry flicked the lights on and rushed out side, running down the stairs and rummaging through cupboards until he found a large first aid kit.

"What the _bloody hell _is going on?" Vernon's angry voice yelling from the hallway.

Harry stepped out into the light and felt a torch beam land on him.

"What the hell are you doing awake at this time, boy?" Vernon grunted, snarling. "It's the middle of the –" He stopped immediately, seeing Merlin's blood covering Harry's hand. "What the blazes -?"

"No time," Harry panted, dodging past him and sprinting up the stairs.

He hurried into his lit room and flung the first aid kit onto his own bed, attempting not to feel sickened by the amount of blood staining Merlin's sheets or the sweat covering the warlock's forehead as he muttered and screamed silently in his sleep. He grabbed some large bandages from the kit and knelt down, turning Merlin over, trying to keep a calm head as he ripped the old bandages off and began cleaning the wound with an anti-septic wipe, slowly pulling Excalibur from Merlin's grasp and laying it down on his bed before taking some more wipes from a packet and sponging up the blood.

Petunia, Vernon and the newly-awoke Dudley appeared at Harry's door, squinting inside.

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?" Petunia asked, seeing the blood and the thrashing warlock, decent enough to at least look a little concerned. Or maybe she was just concerned about her sheets.

"No," Harry told them firmly. "He'll be fine. It's just a nightmare."

"Where did he get it?" Petunia asked, her voice strained, her eyes aimed at the wound.

"Saving all our lives at the Ministry of Magic last Thursday," Harry replied breathlessly, dabbing at Merlin's shoulder to wipe away the blood.

Nobody asked any more questions, so Harry sat Merlin up against the wall, despite the fact that the warlock was now unconscious, and began swabbing his wounds with fresh bandages. Merlin continued to mutter the names of his friends from the past, occasionally shouting 'Run!' or 'It's trap, it's her plan' and 'don't!' loudly. Once satisfied that the wound was bandaged and Merlin was safe again from dying from blood loss, Harry heaved him onto his own bed, changed the camp bed's sheets and settled down to sleep on that instead. The Dursleys returned to bed, switching off lights as they did so.

Now just to wait until morning.

…

"I'm fine, Remus."

"I'll be the judge of that, Merlin."

Lupin continued to prod Merlin's newly healed shoulder, while the warlock grimaced and winced in pain, occasionally flinching away from him. Harry tapped his foot on the ground impatiently.

It had been two days since the incident with the bloody shoulder, and each night Merlin's nightmares had continued to grow worse and worse. Harry had thought he would be able to cope – but last night, when Merlin had woken up screaming, effectively waking up the whole street, Vernon and Petunia could take it no longer. They had tolerated Merlin's insolent behaviour for three days already and if this was what would happen every night for the rest of the summer, they wouldn't take it.

Vernon had shoved a handful of fivers into Harry's hand and practically ordered him to take Merlin to a doctor, or a Healer, to get him sorted out. Harry had quickly decided to take him to Headquarters – maybe somebody from the Order could help out? Merlin had offered to teleport them there, but Harry didn't want to jolt his injury, so they had caught a train to London and then taken a taxi to Grimmauld Place. Sirius had been ecstatic to see Harry again and had immediately ushered them both inside. Harry had explained about Merlin's nightmares and injuries while Merlin simply stared at the floor. Lupin had instantly wanted to see it and when the warlock had shown him the wound, Remus had jumped backwards, shocked, before lecturing him on how to treat wounds and not to be so careless.

"Was the healing spell powerful enough?" Merlin asked hopefully.

"Healing magic isn't your best talent," was all that Lupin said, examining Merlin's shoulder, smirking slightly.

Merlin sighed. "Well, normal magic wouldn't work properly, so it's my Old Magic or nothing."

"We could drop you off in St. Mungos…" Tonks offered from the table.

"Harry, what do you think?" Sirius piped up, sending a warm look towards his godson.

Harry turned towards Merlin; "You gonna be able to cope with this?"

"I'll be alright," Merlin promised him, a glint in his eyes.

"Then I see no reason why we should take him to St. Mungos," Harry said, shrugging. "Is there any way to stop the nightmares?" he asked Merlin, looking slightly worried.

"Not that I know of," Merlin whispered, lowing his eyes to the ground.

"Post traumatic stress," Lupin murmured, clapping his hand on Merlin's good shoulder, glancing at Harry. "Nobody blames you, Merlin. You can't help them."

"Every night," the warlock mumbled, "I watch Arthur die before my eyes, time and time again, and there's no way I can stop it, or help him. Every night, I watch Gwen scream as Morgana tortures her, binding the Queen to her will. Every night… I watch Voldemort killing Harry and Hermione and Ron, ruining the magical world, destroying the Old Religion and there is _nothing _I can do to stop him…" Merlin's shadowed eyes filled with tears and he kicked the table a couple of times viciously before exiting the kitchen, striding out of sight.

Lupin turned to Harry; "I suppose you knew all that."

"He started screaming my name last night," Harry told him, greatly concerned. "And every time he sleeps, he yells about Arthur and Guinevere and occasionally even Morgana."

"There is no way to stop his nightmares," Sirius said sadly. His eyes brightened considerably when he added, "But you can try and help him, Harry."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"Talk to him about them," Sirius told him simply. "Ask him about Camelot, and his years serving Arthur."

"It might de-stress him a bit," Lupin agreed, nodding.

"But don't make him suspicious of you," Tonks added. "That will only make it worse."

Harry nodded in thanks and hugged each of them (he squeezed Sirius very tightly) before rushing off to find Merlin. He was in the living room and had calmed down a lot, and was just sitting on the sofa motionlessly. They both said their goodbyes beforeexiting Grimmauld Place. They didn't both catching the train this time and instead Merlin just teleported them to the end of Privet Drive.

The Dursleys didn't even blink when both of them walked through the door into the living room, but they did grunt a bit when they stood for a few seconds in front of the TV. Merlin quickly made some fish and chips (not using magic; not at _all_) and the two wizards scarfed it down before placing their plates into the dishwasher.

"Come on, let's get to bed; it's late," Merlin said, motioning to the door.

That night, Harry spoke to Merlin about Camelot. Merlin told him about how he had first met Arthur and Guinevere, and how he had grown up in Ealdor and about how he had saved Arthur's life from a witch getting revenge for her son's death.

When Harry and Merlin finally decided to go to sleep, Harry was stunned to find that when he woke up near midnight, everything was silent.

Merlin no longer had nightmares. Instead he dreamt of Camelot and saving Arthur and his mother. He dreamt of saving the Old Religion and teaching Harry the Ways of Old Magic, along with the rest of the world. He had never felt so peaceful.

He hoped that it would hold for the rest of the summer.

….

_Three Weeks Later_

"What do you mean, you're leaving?" Harry asked, alarmed and hurt, staring at Merlin, his arms hanging limply at his sides as he watched the warlock pack hurriedly.

"You know what I mean," Merlin said, throwing jeans over his head so they vanished in thin air, his eyes flashing gold every few seconds.

"But – why?" Harry questioned him in a small voice. He didn't want Merlin to leave. The three weeks that Merlin had stayed with him had been the best three weeks of summer he'd ever had.

They had played pranks on Dudley and his friends. They had read through magical books together, teleported between places, visiting old magical sites that were relevant to Merlin's past. They had even played a prank on Sirius once, when they had stayed at Grimmauld place for a few days one weekend (it involved a camel, a chopstick and a Chudley Cannons poster and I am _not _going there). They had had fun. Merlin had been a brother to Harry, and Harry had been a brother to Merlin.

"Harry, you watch the news, don't you?" Merlin told him calmly, picking his way through the room to grab Excalibur from where it was lying on a pillow under Merlin's bed, holding the brilliant sword up into the light before sheathing it in the invisible sheath attached to his belt.

"Yes, of course I do," Harry replied, confused.

"Then you've noticed the frequent deaths around the UK and the strange mists and fogs and the hurricanes and tornadoes," Merlin answered back, turning to face him. "All the people who died were wizards or witches and were murdered by Death Eaters. The Dark Mark was found over their houses. The mists and fogs are Dementors, and I'm pretty sure that the hurricanes and tornadoes and all that havoc are giants."

"Giants?" Harry gasped.

"Voldemort is powerful," Merlin reminded him.

"So now he's got Dementors… Giants… what's next?" Harry asked, exasperated, "Dragons?"

"The dragons are loyal to only me," Merlin told him, "As I'm the last Dragonlord. But yes, I know what you mean. He is extremely powerful. I have to help… before it's too late."

"Help with what?"

"The centaurs are usually quite peaceful," Merlin continued, "But once they discover who I am, I'm sure they would gladly fight for us. I can also try to find some dragons and encourage them to join us as well; Aithusa will help with that." He finished packing and started to unfold the camp bed, throwing the sheets into a dirty linen basket in the corner (he had insisted that Harry have one in the room) as he packed up the frame, standing it against the wall. "Also, Kingsley has been protecting the Muggle Prime Minister, from within his office. Dumbledore and the Order have decided to tell the Prime Minister who I am, but then swear him to secrecy."

"I don't want you to go," Harry said, in a tiny voice. "I want you to stay."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Merlin told him simply, "But I have to go. I'll see you again, I promise. I swear, I _will _help you destroy Voldemort."

A small whirlwind began to whip up inside the bedroom, with Merlin as its centre point, causing papers and books to fly across the room and the curtains to flutter in the breeze. Merlin, with a solemn face, saluted and bowed once to Harry, before vanishing.

**I'm sorry to those who wanted to see more Merlin and Harry at Privet Drive but I had to get on with the story! SORRY!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

One week after Merlin left to aid the Order in organising protection for the government and to help gain allies for the war ahead, Harry received the letter. It was from Dumbledore and stated a date and a time, informing him that he would pick Harry up and drop him off to stay at the Burrow (as well as Headquarters) for the rest of the summer with the Weasleys and his godfather. Harry could scarcely believe it, so waited with baited breath. He didn't even bother to pack, or tell the Dursleys, who had been avoiding him since Merlin had left without explaining to Harry's aunt and uncle why.

When the night came, Harry was sleeping lightly on his bed. The _Daily Prophet _papers were strewn around his room - as were the rest of his possessions. He had made an effort to keep his room clean while Merlin had stayed with him, but now the warlock was gone it felt natural to see the crumpled shirts and the cauldron in the corner, with his broom shoved under the window and his invisibility cloak hanging down over the top of his wardrobe. Harry jolted awake when the light from outside vanished suddenly and Hedwig hooted.

His heart jolted when he realised Dumbledore had arrived. Throwing open his trunk, he hastily stuffed robes inside, shoving his wand in his jean pocket, grabbing random objects from around the room, some magical and some not, chucking them inside. The doorbell rang downstairs and Harry froze when he heard his uncle yelling furiously about visitors in the middle of the night. Maybe he should have told the Dursleys.

Abandoning his packing, Harry leapt down the stairs two at a time, stopping half-way to witness Vernon yank open the door, fuming. Dumbledore stood calmly outside, his wand in his hand, smiling pleasantly.

"Good evening," Dumbledore said to Uncle Vernon, "I suppose, by your startled expression, Harry did not warn you I was coming." He quickly spotted Harry on the stairs and beamed at him happily, "Ah, Harry! Excellent, excellent…"

Vernon swelled massively, the vein in his forehead throbbing. Anybody who could call Harry 'excellent', in his opinion, was somebody he could never see eye to eye with. Dumbledore invited himself into the house and sat down on the sofa in the living room, looking around. Harry sat beside him awkwardly. Dumbledore motioned for the Dursleys to be seated; Petunia merely looked terrified, while Dudley hid behind his beady-eyed father. With a flick of his wand, the Dursleys were sent sprawling into the other sofa, while Dumbledore just smiled at them.

Harry excused himself to go and pack, but he could hear Dumbledore lecturing the Dursleys about their treatment of Harry and his destiny, and also the protection he had placed on the house that would hold as long as Harry could still call the house his home. Dragging down his trunk, Harry was disappointed to find that Dumbledore was not waiting for him in the hallway near the door. He stepped back into the room and found Dumbledore staring at the Dursleys, while they looked scared, blinking at the old wizard sitting across from them.

"Time to be off, Harry," Dumbledore said, standing, smiling.

Harry followed the Headmaster to the door and on Dumbledore's instruction, took out his Invisibility Cloak and his wand. They strolled down Privet Drive, after Dumbledore had sent both Hedwig and his trunk to the Burrow. They strode through streets, turning off roads into alleyways, silent. The Headmaster seemed quite relaxed.

"Keep your wand at the ready, Harry," he said brightly.

"But, Sir – I thought I wasn't allowed to use any magic out of school."

"Yes, you are quite right." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "But that did not stop you, or Mr Emrys, over the summer, I believe…"

Harry blushed slightly. "What if we're attacked?"

"If so, I give you permission to use any counter-jinx or –curse that comes to your mind. Though, I do not believe you will have to worry about that tonight, Harry."

"Why not?"

"You are with me," Dumbledore stated calmly.

More awkward silence. They turned off into another road. Harry stopped to stare at some children, that were playing around unsupervised in a playground, so when Dumbledore beckoned for him to follow; he had to run to catch up with the old wizard.

"Sir, may I ask you something?" Harry asked, turning to Dumbledore.

"Of course, Harry," Dumbledore told him, "You can speak freely. I may be your Professor, but here, we are merely both wizards."

"Where's Merlin?" Harry questioned him immediately.

"That, Harry, is neither here nor there," Dumbledore said, smiling. "You will come by that information soon enough. Sooner than you think."

Harry did not speak. They apparated to a small village and Dumbledore then told him what they were doing there; they were to persuade a man called Horace Slughorn to come out of retirement and teach at Hogwarts. They entered a house that seemed to have been attacked recently. The place was covered in grime and blood, and it made Harry's heart pound. Slughorn turned out to be disguised as a sofa and Harry spoke with him about Hogwarts and Dumbledore, about how he would be protected at the school, since Voldemort was after him. As Harry and Dumbledore left the house, Slughorn then surprised them by yelling that we would do it (but of course, he wanted a pay rise…).

"Well done, Harry," said Dumbledore.

"But I didn't do anything," he exclaimed, surprised.

"Oh yes you did. You showed Horace exactly how much he stands to gain by returning to Hogwarts. Did you like him?"

"Er…" Harry looked at the ground, not answering, not wanting to offend Dumbledore.

"Horace likes his comfort. He also liked the company of the famous, the successful and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influences these people. He had never wanted to occupy the throne himself; he prefers the back seat – more room to spread out, you see. He used to hand-pick favourites at Hogwarts, sometimes for their ambition or their brains, sometimes for their charm or their talent, and he had an uncanny knack for choosing those who would go on to become outstanding in their various fields. Horace formed a kind of club of his favourites with himself at the centre, making introductions, forging useful contacts between members."

"Why are you telling me this, Sir?" Harry asked, not impolitely, merely curious.

"I tell you all this," Dumbledore continued, "Not to turn you against Horace – or, as we must now call him, Professor Slughorn – but to put you on your guard. He will undoubtedly try to collect you, Harry. You would be the jewel of him collection; the Boy Who Lived… or as they call you these days, the Chosen One."

"What about Merlin?" Harry asked, suddenly becoming worried. "If Slughorn – sorry, I mean, Professor Slughorn – has that uncanny sense of his… wouldn't he pick Merlin out in a heartbeat?"

Dumbledore looked mildly surprised. "I'm slightly stunned – Merlin obviously did not tell you of his plan. Merlin wishes to inform all the Professors at Hogwarts of his identity."

Harry gasped. "But that's – what about – what?"

"You may think this idiocy," Dumbledore said, smiling. "But really, it is just a way to avoid unnecessary trouble. Merlin will not only be attending Hogwarts to watch over you and your destiny; he will be placed at the school as a safe guard as well – an extremely powerful shield in our security. With the Professors knowing who Merlin really is, he will receive no homework or deadlines, and he will be free to do whatever he wants to or needs to within lessons, whether that be powerful wards to protect the school or practice unleashing his emotions to keep in control. It is also to my understanding that he wishes to continue his own search for – well, that is a matter for another time."

Braced this time, Harry was ready for the Apparition, but still found it unpleasant. When the pressure disappeared and he found himself able to breathe again, he was standing in a country lane beside Dumbledore and looking ahead to the crooked silhouette of his second favourite building in the world: The Burrow. Ron was there… and so was Mrs Weasley… and maybe even Merlin.

"If you don't mind, Harry," said Dumbledore, as they passed through the gate, "I'd like a few words with you before we part. In private. Perhaps in here?"

He pointed towards a run-down stone outhouse where the Weasleys kept their broomsticks. A little puzzled, Harry followed Dumbledore through the creaking door into a space a little smaller than the average cupboard. Dumbledore illuminated the tip of his wand, so that it glowed like a torch, and smiled down at Harry.

"Harry, I believe that over the summer you have been wondering about the prophecy," Dumbledore told him. "Oh no, don't look so surprised; you are not the only person Merlin confides in, after all. Your destiny, Harry, approaches. Voldemort searches for a way to destroy you. Harry, Merlin may be powerful, but he will not be able to protect you always, throughout your sixth year. Harry, I beg you to stay out of trouble. Do not be reckless. Confide in either Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Merlin or myself, if you have any troubles. Professor McGonagall has offered to keep an eye on you this year and I turned her down, though I appreciated her offer. I said you would be able to stay out of mischief on your own, that Merlin would keep you I check. Please do not give me a reason to take her up on her offer, Harry."

"I won't, Sir," Harry promised him, truthfully. "I think… I don't find trouble, trouble usually finds me."

Dumbledore laughed at that and then said, "On a different, though slightly related subject, it is my wish that you take private lessons along with Merlin, with me, next year."

"Private – with you?" said Harry, surprised. "And Merlin – what will you be teaching us, sir?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that," Dumbledore said airily.

Harry hesitated, then asked, "If I'm having lessons with you, I won't have to do Occlumency Lessons with Snape, will I?"

"_Professor _Snape, Harry – and no, you will not."

"Good," said Harry in relief, "Because they were a –" He stopped, careful not to say what he really thought.

"I think the word 'fiasco' would be a good one here," said Dumbledore, nodding.

Harry laughed. "Well, that means I won't see much of Professor Snape then from now on," he said, "Because he won't let me carry on Potions unless I get 'Outstanding' in my O.W.L., which I know I haven't."

"Don't count on your owls before they are delivered," said Dumbledore gravely. "Which should be, I think, tomorrow morning." He stopped, and looked outside for a moment. "Come now, Harry, we must not keep Molly waiting any longer."

They strode up to the Burrow's front door and knocked.

"Who is it?" Mrs Weasley's wary voice sounded, from inside the house. "Declare yourself!"

"It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Harry."

The door was flung open and Molly Weasley's relieved face gazed at them. She quickly ushered Harry inside and Dumbledore wished them both goodnight, departing. Harry was forced to sit down at the table while he chatted happily with Mrs Weasley, who shoved a large bowl of soup in front of him, with a hunk of bread.

"Tonks!" Harry exclaimed, standing, when said-witch appeared at the living room doorway. "Lupin!"

"Good evening, Harry," Lupin greeted him, smiling.

"How're things doing in the Order?" Harry asked Lupin curiously, as both members of the Order joined him at the table, slurping soup.

"I think you should be asking him," Lupin said, grinning, nodding behind Harry.

Harry turned and instantly saw his godfather grinning gleefully at him from the doorway. Leaping to his feet, Harry embraced him, while Sirius asked him questions about his summer, how the Dursleys had treated him and how much mischief he and Merlin had caused. Harry told them all about the Pizza Express incident and they laughed, amused. When Harry yawned, Mrs Weasley dragged him upstairs into Fred and Georges' room. The twins were staying in a flat over their joke-shop in Diagon Alley so the room was free. Ignoring the clutter, Harry settled down into the bottom bunk and quickly fell asleep, exhausted.

The next morning, Harry was awoken when Ron snapped a heavy book onto his head, yelling loudly.

"Ron, don't hit him!" Hermione scolded him. "Sorry, Harry, I think he went insane over the summer…"

"We didn't know you were already here!" Ron yelped.

Grabbing his glasses and shoving them onto his face, he grinned up at his best friends. "I arrived at about one in the morning – and before you ask, the Muggles treated me fine."

"You'll have to tell us all about it, mate," Ron said, looking excited. "After all, you spent nearly a _month _with Merlin!"

"Ron, later," Hermione said, shooting a look at him, which calmed him slightly.

"What's the time? Did I miss breakfast?" Harry asked worriedly, looking around, his stomach growling.

"Mum's bringing a tray upstairs," Ginny told him, grinning. "She reckons you're underfed."

Mrs Weasley brought a large tray of food in, and the four shared it between them. Even having shared the food, Harry ate four pieces of toast, two eggs and three sausages. They spoke about Bill, and Fleur – apparently, they were engaged and getting married next summer. Ginny hated her, as did Hermione, while Ron was just on the fence.

"Oh, hey, I forgot, Dumbledore's giving me and Merlin private lessons this year," Harry told them, suddenly remembering, grinning.

Ron choked on his toast; "You kept that quiet!"

"I only just remembered," Harry confessed, "He told me last night, when he picked me up, in your broomshed."

"With Merlin as well, Harry?" Hermione asked, gasping , her eyes wide. "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry… jinxes, powerful counter-curses…"

"Yeah, all that stuff, but what about Merlin?" Ron said, shuffling closer, eager. "What will Dumbledore be teaching him? Not like he needs an education – if you're having lessons with Merlin, Harry, they'll be about the prophecy. After all, he's the expert on that destiny stuff, right?"

"Yes, that's probably true," Hermione said, looking troubled.

Harry was stuffed by the end of breakfast and the threesome left so he could get changed. Downstairs, a few members of the Order were eating breakfast with Mr and Mrs Weasley. Ron's mother fussed over him once he reached the bottom of the stairs, complaining about how he was too thin, about how he was underfed and how he needed to eat more to become strong. Moody watched, amused, while Lupin and Tonks just laughed silently as Harry shot them a pleading expression.

Suddenly, the ground shook, sending forks and knives flying off the table, glasses soaring and their chairs to leap of the floor. Lupin jumped up, eyes wide. They all drew their wands. However, when Mr Weasley looked out of the door, he returned with a delighted expression.

"You'll never guess!" he chortled, anticipation rolling off of him in waves.

Harry looked out of the window – and almost fell over in shock. Outside, in the Weasley's garden, was a dragon. It was completely massive, as large as the house, with sleek snow-white scales and big, round cobalt eyes that blinked in the sunlight. Her wings had the wingspan of a plane and were slim but muscled, powerful, flexing as she folded them to her sides, her dagger-sharp claws scraping the ground. And there, on her back, was Merlin.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

Merlin slipped off her back and patted the dragon's side, beaming. The dragon dipped her large head that dwarfed Merlin, and leaned into the warlock's touch. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, along with the rest of the Order, sprinted out of the Burrow, shocked, skidding to a halt in front of the dragon that gazed at them all.

"Hey guys!" Merlin said excitedly. "Guys, meet Aithusa. Aithusa, meet the Order of the Phoenix."

"_This _is Aithusa?" Harry said, gasping. "She's – well, she's – she's massive!"

"Indeed, I may seem so, young warlock," Aithusa boomed suddenly, in a female, soothing voice. "But once, I was only a mere hatchling, like you are now."

"SHE CAN TALK?" Ron yelled. "WOW, THIS IS AWESOME!"

Merlin grinned then said, "Watch this –" His eyes flashed gold and then, suddenly, the massive dragon was shrinking in size, growing smaller and smaller, until she was only the size of a cat. The shrunken white dragon bounded forwards and leapt towards her Dragonlord, fastening her claws into Merlin's jacket to haul herself up until she was balanced comfortably on Merlin's shoulder.

"That's pretty cool," Hermione admitted, before running forwards and enveloping the warlock in a bone-crushing hug.

Merlin hugged her back, laughing, but his laughter was cut off when he was promptly squished by both Ron and Harry and then squashed by Ginny. Mrs Weasley then began to scold and fuss over him, saying about how it was dangerous to ride dragons and how he could have been hurt.

"Molly, please, I'm a Dragonlord," Merlin said, grinning, "I've been flying dragons for years."

"Can you take me up for a ride one day?" Ron asked eagerly, jumping up and down.

Merlin hesitated, then looked sideways at his dragon; "Aithusa?"

"I am not a _horse, _Merlin," she whined, "But yes, I'll do it."

Merlin followed the others into the Burrow and Mrs Weasley immediately tried to stuff him with food, now complaining that he was skinnier than Harry and needed some meat on his bones, if he was going to ride around on dragons. The Order settled down again, and Harry and Merlin told Ron, Hermione and Ginny about their time at Privet Drive. Ron seemed to enjoy the Pizza Express story a little too much.

"So, Merlin, I hear you'll be joining us for our sixth year, mate," Ron started, staring at the warlock in awe.

"Yes, I was wondering, how will you do that?" Hermione asked, frowning. "To get into sixth year to start N.E.W.T. you have to pass your O.W.L.s and you haven't taken any…"

"Who said I haven't taken any O.W.L.s?" Merlin asked innocently.

"You mean you have?" Ginny questioned him, interested. "Oh, when?"

"Before you broke up for summer, during the last days of term," Merlin explained, grinning.

"Oh, talking of O.W.L.s…" Harry said, frowning, remembering, "I think Dumbledore said… they'd be coming… today!" he recalled, suddenly shocked.

"TODAY?" Hermione shrieked, causing everybody to stare at her. "TODAY? Oh my god – why didn't you – Merlin's beard!"

With that, she rushed out of the kitchen, sprinting out into the garden desperately, searching the skies for any owls. Merlin looked slightly uncomfortable – maybe it was the fact he certainly didn't have a beard…

"What happens if we fail?" Ron asked, turning to Lupin.

Lupin squinted; "I think you'll have to discuss your options with your Head of House."

"That's McGonagall," Ron said instantly, "Oh god, I'm so dead…"

Ron's words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing upwards towards the sky, rushing back into the kitchen, her face extremely pale. Four black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.

"They're definitely owls," said Ron hoarsely, jumping to his feet to join Hermione by the window.

"And there are four of them," said Harry, hastening to her other side.

"One for each of us," said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Oh no… oh no… oh no…"

"Calm down, Hermione," Merlin told her calmly, from his seat at the table. He hadn't even bothered to get up. He was happily munching at a slice of toast, while Aithusa was wandering around the table, sniffing at each Order member. "You'll all be fine."

"That's easy for you to say, mate," Ron said, in a dry voice, looking back at him. "You don't have to worry."

Hermione gripped both Harry and Ron tightly around the elbows. The owls were flying directly at the Burrow, three handsome tawnies along with a large black barn owl, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope.

"Oh _no!" _squealed Hermione.

Mrs Weasley squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, three, four; the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All four of them lifted their right legs. Harry moved forwards. The letter addressed to him was tried to the leg of the owl in the middle. To his left, Ron was trying to detatch his own result; to his right, Hermione's hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.

It was awkward, with nearly the whole Order watching curiously, as they tried to free the owls from their letters. Merlin calmly undid the tie carrying the letter and stroked the black barn owl several times, whispering to it, before carrying it to the window and throwing it into the air; it spread its wings, catching the wind, soaring away.

Nobody in the kitchen spoke. At last, Harry managed to detach the envelope. He slit it open quickly an unfolded the parchment inside.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)_

_ Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)_

_ Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_

_HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Astronomy: A_

_Care of Magical Creatures: E_

_Charms: E_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Divination: P_

_Herbology: E_

_History of Magic: D_

_Potions: E _

_Transfiguration: E _

Harry read the parchment through several times, his breathing becoming easier with each reading. It was all right; he had always known that he would fail Divination, and he had collapsed half-way through the History of Magic examination, so he had had no chance at passing that. But he had passed everything else!

He ran his finger down the grades… he had passed well in nearly everything. Best of all, he had achieved an Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts!

Merlin had wandered over and peeked over Harry's shoulder. Beaming at him, he stated, "I told you that you'd do well. Those are great results." He clapped him on the shoulder, congratulated him and then strolled off to read his own results.

Harry nodded thankfully and then looked around. Hermione had her back to him and her head bent, but Ron was looking delighted.

"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" he said happily to Harry. "Here – swap –"

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)_

_ Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)_

_ Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_

_RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Astronomy: A_

_Care of Magical Creatures: E_

_Charms: E_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: E_

_Divination: D_

_Herbology: E_

_History of Magic: D_

_Potions: E _

_Transfiguration: E _

Harry glanced down Ron's graded; there were no Outstandings there….

"Knew you'd be top in Defence," said Ron, punching Harry in the shoulder. "We've done alright, haven't we?"

Mrs Weasley began to praise them all while Harry handed his results so Lupin could read them; he asked Lupin to pass them on to Sirius, and he promised willingly.

"Hermione?" said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn't turned around. "How did you do?"

"I – not bad," said Hermione in a small voice.

"Oh, come off it," Ron said, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hands. Harry leaned over his shoulder to take a look.

Ron then began to read Hermione's results out loud. Hermione squeaked and rushed to hide behind Tonks and Lupin, ducking under the table, extremely embarrassed, while the Order laughed, amused, but curious about the young witch's results.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)_

_ Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)_

_ Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_

_HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Ancient Ruins: O_

_Arithmancy: O_

_Astronomy: O_

_Care of Magical Creatures: O_

_Charms: O_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: E_

_Herbology: O_

_History of Magic: O_

_Muggle Studies: O_

_Potions: O _

_Transfiguration: O _

Harry blinked. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?" he asked Hermione, half-amused, half-exasperated.

Hermione shook her head, but Harry laughed.

"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!" grinned Ron. "Mum, are there any more sausages?"

"Wait, Merlin, let me see yours," Hermione piped up, leaping from her seat.

Merlin, who had been trying to act inconspicuous, froze and backed away slightly. It seemed he'd been trying to avoid being centred out, but now everybody was looking at him, asking him about his own results. "No, seriously, it's fine…" he protested, gripping his parchment and holding it behind his back, so Hermione couldn't reach it.

"No, let me see," Hermione pressed, trying to take it from his hands, but failing.

He shook his head and continued to back away, but unfortunately he backed into Ginny, who grabbed his results from his hands and dodged out of the way to hand them over to Hermione. Harry, Ron and Ginny crowded around as Hermione began to read the grades aloud, much to Harry's amusement. Merlin shook his head, beckoning to Aithusa, and they exited the room and fled into the living room to escape any stares.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)_

_ Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)_

_ Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_

_MERLIN PENDRAGON AMBROSIUS EMRYS HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Ancient Ruins: O_

_Arithmancy: O_

_Arthurian Legend: O_

_Astronomy: O_

_Care of Magical Creatures: O_

_Charms: O_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Divination: O_

_Herbology: O_

_History of Magic: O_

_Muggle Studies: O_

_Old English: O_

_Potions: O _

_Transfiguration: O _

"Whoa," Ron said, looking shocked. "That's incredible."

Merlin stuck his head around the door, wincing; "I told them to change some of the grades to Exceeds Expectations and Acceptable, so I wouldn't stick out…" he whined, grimacing, "I don't want results like that!"

"Merlin, you passed everything with an Outstanding," Hermione squeaked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, well, I have been alive for hundreds more years than you," Merlin said, rolling his eyes.

"How did you manage an Outstanding on _all _of your tests though?" Ron asked, disbelieving. "You didn't even revise."

"I practically lived the History of Magic exam… You forget that the Arthurian Legend was basically all real and I was there… I've brewed far more advanced potions… I invented Animagi… I can scry… I lived with a Physician… I'm a Dragonlord… I can perform advanced spells without incantations… Old English is what we used back in Camelot…Yeah," he finished lamely, with a shrug.

"You should be proud of your grades, not embarrassed," Lupin told him, frowning.

"I was afraid you'd think differently of me," Merlin said quietly.

"Why would we think differently of you?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Because these grades make it appear as if I'm a smug, arrogant, dollop-headed show-off who has a massive ego they can't keep under control," Merlin murmured, his eyes shadowed. "And I don't want to be seen like that…"

"Merlin, you're the most modest, selfless person I've ever known," Harry told him confidently. "After everything you've done for us and the wizarding world, you don't want any credit at all, no fame, no fortune, all you want is for everybody to be happy. That's not the mind of somebody who is a smug dollop-head. You're humble and courageous. Don't ever think of yourself as that."

Merlin smiled at him thankfully before nodding to the others, stating he needed to get some rest. Molly pointed him upstairs to Ron's bedroom and he disappeared, Aithusa on his shoulder.

Harry looked down at his own results. They were as good as he could have hoped for. He just felt one tiny twinge of regret… this was the end of his ambition to become an Auror. He had not secured the required Potions grade. He had known all along that he wouldn't, but he still felt a sinking feeling when he looked again at that small black 'E'.

It was odd, really, seeing that it had been a Death Eater in disguise who had first told Harry he would made a good Auror, but somehow that idea had taken hold of him, and he couldn't really think of anything else he would like to be. Moreover, it had seemed the right destiny for him since he had heard the prophecy a month ago… _neither can live while the other survives… _wouldn't he be living up to his destiny, and giving himself the best chance of survival, if he joined those highly trained wizards whose job was to find and kill Voldemort?


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

Over the next few weeks, Merlin popped in and out of The Burrow, taking care to always speak to Harry, Hermione and Ron every time he stayed, spending time with them, and having a laugh. The trio enjoyed his company, and Ron had become a particular fan of Arthurian Legend, and even started reading up about it after Merlin showed him Excalibur and the Camelot fighting style.

One day, and on this particular day, Merlin was absent, Molly told her husband, "We'll have to go to Diagon Alley, Arthur. Both Harry and Ron will need new robes and Hermione says she needs new dress robes."

"We'll be happy to escort you," Lupin offered. Most of the Order spent their days now at The Burrow or at Headquarters. Sirius spent most of his time with Harry, telling him tales of his father, along with Lupin and Moody. Tonks also stayed around The Burrow, and most were surprised to see that she was helping Bill and Fleur with their wedding plans.

"Thank you, Remus," Molly told him gratefully.

They spent the rest of the day playing Quidditch in the Burrow's garden; Hermione and Ginny verses Harry and Ron. Since Hermione wasn't such good player, but Ginny was, they were evenly matched. Since Lupin was off duty, he watched, laughing when he realised Harry used all of his father's old moves. Sirius had gone back to Headquarters and the other members of the Order were organising Ministry cars to go to Diagon Alley.

The next morning they woke up bright and early, dressing in Muggle clothes and grabbing bags of galleons and nickels to spend when they visited Fred and George. Bill and Fleur, who were staying in Percy's old room, waved them off as they slid into the Ministry cars, lying back onto the black leather seats comfortably.

"I could get used to this," Ron said, grinning, placing his hands behind his head, putting his legs up.

"I wouldn't, this is only because of Harry," Mrs Weasley warned him.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron by ten in the morning and Harry was hauled by Aurors out of the car. He pulled away from them, glaring; he really didn't fancy being lugged around Diagon Alley by a gruff Auror, treated like some defenceless kid.

"Ah, there they are!" Mr Weasley said, gazing through the window of the Inn, glowing happily.

Harry imitated Mr Weasley and peered through the window; his heart leapt. There were no Aurors waiting inside the Inn, but instead the gigantic, black-bearded form of Rubeus Hagrid in his bear-skin coat and also the skinny pale body of Merlin, with his messy black hair and bright blue eyes that shone. Aithusa was draped around Merlin's shoulders, looking very much like a cat, her scaly tale hanging down Merlin's front, occasionally flicking Merlin's chin.

"Harry!" Hagrid boomed, sweeping Harry up into a bone-crushing hug while Merlin laughed at them both. "Good ta see you again! Oi, Harry, have you met Merlin – o', course you 'ave – he's a Dragonlord, Harry! A real Dragonlord! An' look – Aithusa, she's one of those Ol' Dragons, right? She can talk!"

"Yes, I know," Harry said, grinning as he massaged his ribs. "I didn't know 'security' meant you two!"

"I know, jus' like ol' times, innit?" Hagrid said enthusiastically, buffing his chest out proudly.

"The Ministry wanted to send some Aurors, but Dumbledore said that we'd do," Merlin explained striding forwards to shake an Auror's hand. "Let's get going then – after you, Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley –"

The Leaky Cauldron was, for the first time in Harry's memory, completely empty. Tom the landlord, wizened and toothless looked up hopefully as they passed a table, but before he could ask, Hagrid apologized, saying they were on Hogwarts business. Tom nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glassed. Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, Merlin and the Weasleys walked through the bar and out into the chilly little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood. Merlin raised his hand and tapped a certain brick in the wall, his eyes flashing gold; an archway opened up at once onto a winding, cobbled street.

They stepped through the entrance and paused, looking around. Diagon Alley had changed. The colourful, glittery window displays of spell books, potion ingredients and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these sombre purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice-cream Parlour and Ollivanders. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

_Amulets: Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors and Inferi_

A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passers-by. "One for your little girl, madam?" he called at Mrs Weasley as they passed, leering at Ginny. "Protect her pretty neck?"

"If I were on duty…" said Mr Weasley, glaring angrily at the amulet seller.

"Yes, but don't go arresting anyone now, dear, we're in a hurry," said Mrs Weasley, nervously consulting a list. "I think we'd better do Madam Malkin's first, Hermione wants new dress robes and both Ron and Harry are showing too much ankle in their school robes… oh, and Merlin, dear, you'll need new robes for school as well, of course. Come on everyone –"

"Molly, it doesn't make sense for all of us to go to Madam Malkin's," said Mr Weasley. "Why don't Hermione, Ron, Harry and Merlin go together and we can go with Hagrid to Flourish and Blotts and get everybody's school books? After that we can meet up, get Merlin's other school equipment and visit Fred and George?"

"I don't know," said Mrs Weasley anxiously, clearly torn between a desire to finish the shopping quickly and the wish to stick together in a pack. "Merlin, do you think -?"

"Don't worry, Mrs Weasley, they'll be fine with me," Merlin promised soothingly, gripping Excalibur's sheath and sliding the legendary sword out slightly to reassure them he was armed. "How about you four take Aithusa with you?" The white dragon nodded once before stealthily leaping from her position on Merlin's shoulder to Hagrid, who looked like he was about to pass out from the very thought that a dragon was seated on his shoulder.

Mrs Weasley didn't look entirely convinced, but allowed the separation, scurrying off towards Flourish and Blotts with her husband, Ginny, Hagrid and Aithusa, while Merlin lead Harry, Ron and Hermione off to Madam Malkin's. Harry noticed that many of the people who passed them had the same harried, anxious look as Mrs Weasley, and that nobody was stopping to talk anymore; the shoppers stayed together in their own tightly knit groups, moving intently about their business. Nobody seemed to be shopping alone. Merlin, however, looked completely at ease, and was whistling merrily, his hands in his pocket, not looking in the least concerned.

The four of then entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.

"… I'm not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping _alone_."

There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognised as that of Madam Malkin said, "Now, dear, your mother's quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own any more, it's nothing to do with being a child –"

"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"

A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white-blonde hair appeared from behind a rack wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and at the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Harry, Merlin, Ron and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light grey eyes narrowed.

"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," said Draco Malfoy, sneering.

"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand. "And I don't want any wands drawn in my shop, either!" she added hastily, for a glance towards the door had shown her Harry and Ron both standing there with their wands out and pointing at Malfoy.

"Harry, Ron," Merlin said warningly, stepping forwards and placing a hand on each of their shoulders, "Put your wands _away_, both of you."

"You _heard _what he called her," Ron spat, raising his wand slightly, rage contorted across his face.

Hermione, who was standing slightly behind them, whispered, "No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it…"

"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," sneered Malfoy. "Hey, who burnt your hands, scrawny? I want to send them flowers."

"That's quite enough!" said Madam Malkin sharply.

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked towards Merlin in shock. That was when they saw Merlin's hands… They looked slightly shrivelled and burnt, with a few blisters over them. Merlin didn't seem to be in any pain, but as anger filled his blue eyes, they glowed gold momentarily – seconds later the burns had vanished and his hands had completely healed. Harry made a mental note to ask Merlin about the burns later.

"You're suddenly braver when you've got adults behind you," Merlin growled, "You're lucky I have so much self-control. Your _friends _on the train weren't so fortunate, if you remember."

"Madam – please –" Madam Malkin turned, looking over her shoulder for support.

Narcissa Malfoy strolled out from behind the clothing rack. "Put those wands away," she said coldly to Harry and Ron, shooting a glare at Merlin. "If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do."

"Really?" said Harry, taking a step forwards and gazing into the smoothly arrogant face that, for all its pallor, still resembled her sister's. He was as tall as she was now, nearly taller. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?"

Madam Malkin squealed and clutched at her heart. "Really, you shouldn't accuse – dangerous thing to say – put those wants _away_, please!" But Harry did not lower his wand.

Narcissa Malfoy smiled unpleasantly. "I see that being Dumbledore's favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you."

Harry looked mockingly around the shop, about to answer, when instead, Merlin stepped forwards, arms crossed over his chest, glowering at her.

"Wow… look at that… he's not here now!" Merlin said sarcastically. "So why not have a go?"

"Yeah, they might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband," Harry added furiously.

Malfoy made an angry movement towards Harry, but Merlin's eyes flashed topaz and he stumbled over his now overlong robe. Ron laughed loudly when Merlin winked at him.

"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter! And you, you scrawny git, you'll get what's coming to you after what you did to me and my friends on the train." Malfoy snarled.

"It's alright, Draco," said Narcissa, restraining him with her thin white fingers on his shoulder. She shot Merlin a searching, bitter look and then gave another cold smile. "I expect that Mr Emrys will be reunited with his dear little King before I am reunited with Lucius."

Harry raised his hand higher and Ron growled, leaping forwards in front of Merlin, who looked momentarily shocked and hurt.

"Harry, Ron, no!" moaned Hermione, grabbing both their arms and attempting to push them downwards. "Think… you mustn't… you'll be in so much trouble…"

Madam Malkin dithered for a moment on the spot, then seemed to decide to act as though nothing was happening in hope that it wouldn't. She bent towards Malfoy, who was still glaring at Harry and Merlin. "I think this left sleeve could come up a bit more, dear, let me just –"

"Ouch!" bellowed Malfoy, slapping her hand away, "Watch where you're putting your pins, woman! Mother – I don't want these robes any more –"

He pulled the robes off over his head and chucked them onto the floor at Madam Malkin's feet, where they sat in a little messy green pile of velvet.

"You're right, Draco," said Narcissa, with a contemptuous glance at Hermione. "Now that I know the kind of scum that shops here… we'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's."

And with that, the pair of them strode out of the shop, Malfoy taking care to bang as hard as he could into Merlin on the way out. Narcissa stopped for a moment, aiming a cold smirk towards Merlin, that froze him slighting as he glared back, before striding out of view after her son.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

"Well, _really_!" said Madam Malkin, snatching up the fallen robes and moving the tip of her wand over them like a vacuum cleaner, so that it removed dust.

She was distracted all through the fitting of Ron, Harry and Merlin's new robes, tried to sell Hermione wizard's dress robes, and when she finally bowed them out of the shop it was with an air of being glad to see the back of them. Throughout the whole fitting, Merlin had been silent, head bowed as he refused to say a word.

"You okay?" Hermione asked gently, gripping Merlin's hand as they strode down the street.

"I'm fine," Merlin answered in a small voice. "I just… I still can't believe, even after over five hundred years that he's… _gone_."

"Malfoy is a real git," Ron said loudly. "I can't believe his mum would say something like that."

"Never mind what she said, how did she even know?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"It doesn't matter now," Merlin told them, in a stronger voice. "She probably just heard something, a rumour, at the Ministry. After all, I have been hanging around there for the last week with Kingsley…"

"She's still in contact with the Ministry?" Harry asked, slightly shocked. How could the Ministry even bare to be talking to a Death Eater's wife?

"Dumbledore advised it," Merlin informed them lightly, "So we can keep an eye on the Death Eaters' families…"

"Hey, what happened to your hands?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh, that," Merlin replied in a now flat voice. "Aithusa and I had a little… misunderstanding. Perfectly normal, between a Dragonlord and his dragon," he assured them, at Hermione's horrified expression.

"But that's _horrible." _Hermione whispered, terrified. "How often does this happen?"

"Meh, once or twice a month," Merlin shrugged. "It's okay though, I don't mine. She burnt my hands this time, but she apologised after immediately. It was just the matter of remembering that I needed to heal them."

"Malfoy seemed delighted," Ron said, glowering. "He's sick, being happy at the thought of you being hurt."

"I've had worse," Merlin told them, with a small smile. At Harry's troubled expression, he reassured them, "Don't worry, Harry, they wouldn't dare make any trouble in the middle of Diagon Alley, especially when they know that _I'm _here today."

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could disabuse Merlin of this comfortable notion, Mr and Mrs Weasley, along with Ginny and Hagrid, appeared, all clutching heavy packages of books.

"Everyone all right?" said Mrs Weasley. "Got your robes? Right then, we can pop in at the apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's… stick close, now…"

Neither Ron nor Harry bought any potions ingredients at the apothecary, seeing as they were no longer studying potions; they helped Merlin and Hermione pick out theirs though. It was strange, since Merlin seemed to have different names for each different ingredient, and he seemed to have a large knowledge of herbs, but that was only because, he assured them, he had lived with the Court Physician in Camelot when he'd been a young boy. Both Harry and Ron bought large boxes of owl nuts at Eeylops Owl Emporium, for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon.

As Merlin wandered around the shop, greeting every single owl individually, he sounded his thoughts out loud: "Hmm, maybe I should buy an owl…"

"Excuse me?" Aithusa snorted, offended. "And what am _I _for then?"

"Well, would you like to carry mail to me everyday then?" Merlin asked her, laughing slightly. "You're a great friend and companion, Aithusa, but for some reason I just can't imagine you carrying my letters into the Great Hall each morning…"

Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to help Merlin pick out an owl after he had decided he needed one. The warlock seemed quite attached to an extremely large black eagle-owl that gazed at him with massive amber eyes, ruffling his handsome feathers. Merlin paid several galleons for his owl, which he named Kilgharrah, in memory of his old dragon friend. He also bought some owl nuts and a sort of padded harness that went under or over his clothes; since Kilgharrah was half-eagle, he had large, sharp dagger-like talons, so the pads would prevent the talons from digging into Merlin's injured shoulder. It would also stop Aithusa from accidentally hurting him if she landed straight onto his shoulders from flight. Mrs Weasley helped Merlin put it on over his clothes, and when it was on, the warlock looked like a professional hawk-handler. So, with Aithusa the beautiful white dragon on his right shoulder and Kilgharrah the large black eagle-owl on his left, they exited the store.

Mrs Weasley checked her watch every few minutes as they walked down the street in search of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop ran on Fred and George.

"We really haven't got too long," Mrs Weasley said worriedly. "So we'll just have a quick look around and then get back to the car. We must be close now… look, there's number ninety-two… ninety-four…"

"_Whoa_," Ron gasped, stopping in his tracks.

"Awesome," Merlin breathed, grinning widely.

Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, Fred and George's windows hit the eye like a firework display. Casual passers-bye were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed. The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced and shrieked; Harry's eyes began to water just looking at it. The right-hand window was covered with a gigantic poster, purple like those of the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:

_Why Are You Worrying About You-Know-Who?_

_You SHOULD Be Worrying About_

_U-NO-POO-_

_The Constipation Sensation That's Gripping the Nation!_

Harry and Merlin started to laugh. Even Aithusa started chuckling. They heard a sort of weak moan beside them and looked around to see Mrs Weasley gazing, dumb-founded, at the poster. Her lips moved, silently mouthing the name, 'U-No-Poo.'

"They'll be murdered in their beds!" she whispered.

"No they won't!" said Ron, who like Harry and Merlin, was laughing. "This is brilliant!"

He, Harry and Merlin led the way into the shop. It was packed with customers; Harry could not get near the shelves. He stared around, looking up at the boxed piled to the ceiling: here were the Skiving Snackboxes that the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts; Harry noticed that the Nosebleed Nougat was most popular, with only one battered box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of pants when waved; the most expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck; boxes of quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking and Smart-Answer varieties. A space cleared in the crowd and Harry pushed his way towards the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds were watching a tiny little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: Reusable Hangman – Spell It Or He'll Swing!

" 'Patented Daydream Charms…'"

Hermione had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly coloured picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship.

" '_One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side-effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteen's.' _You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry and handing the box to Merlin so he could examine it. "That really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "You can have one for free."

A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair. "How are you, Harry, Merlin?" He shook hands with both of them enthusiastically. He nodded to Aithusa respectively, grinning and the dragon beamed back. Fred also greeted Merlin's new owl Kilgharrah and he hooted happily. "Hey, Merlin, forgot to say, thanks for those spells…"

"_You _helped them?" Ron asked, turning around from where he was ogling at another display to gaze at Merlin with wide eyes.

Merlin shrugged. "It was nothing really. Just a few spells that I could pull off on Arthur when he wasn't looking."

"That one that gave the victim donkey ears was hilarious," Fred said seriously, grinning. "Are you telling me you used _that _one on the Once and Future King?"

Merlin allowed a smile to spread across his face. "Maybe one or twice, when he was asleep…" Aithusa cuffed his head with her wing as he began to laugh.

"Nice one," Fred laughed, "Come on, Harry, Merlin, I'll give you both tours…"

Harry and Merlin left Ron and Hermione staring at some other merchandise, following Fred towards the back of the shop, where Merlin frowned at a stand of card and rope tricks. Aithusa sniffed at them, recoiling backwards when she realised they were not magical.

"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out. "For freaks like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties… oh, here's George…"

Fred's twin shook Harry and Merlins' hands energetically.

"Giving them the tour? Come through to the back, you two, that's where we're making the real money – _pocket anything and you'll pay in more than Galleons!_" he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of the tub labelled: Edible Dark Marks – They'll Make Anyone Sick!

George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and the two warlocks saw a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.

"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened…"

"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "Course, they didn't have you teaching them, Harry."

"That's right…" well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh. You know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"

"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves…"

"… I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes…"

"Guys, that's amazing," Merlin said truthfully, as George showed him a Shield Cloak from a rack. "This is some great magic."

"Thanks, Merlin," Fred said, delighted with the praise. He and George glanced at each other, slyly before saying, "We made one especially for you, and one for Aithusa, and you, Harry."

"What?" Harry spluttered, stunned.

George grinned and vanished behind a curtain before he reappeared again. In his hand he held Harry's black school cloak (they had obviously stolen it from his trunk) and he threw it to Harry, who caught it, dazed and in shock. Harry looked down at it, and felt the magic coating it, woven into the very fibres, and could not express his thanks enough. Fred helped him put it on and Harry was surprised to find it was warm and comfortable, not heavy like he'd been expecting, with all the magic charmed onto it.

Fred then appeared with a small necklace charm. It was Merlin's druid symbol, the symbol of Emrys, made of shining silver with a strong silver chain that had been enchanted to never break. Aithusa dipped her neck as Fred slipped it over her head. It hung over her chest like an amulet and the dragon buffed her chest proudly, grinning, eyes sparkling with gratitude.

Both Fred and George then vanished together to come back holding something behind their backs. They revealed it to Merlin, and the warlock's heart stopped with a jolt. It was an old red cloak, made of the finest red velvet, with the golden Pendragon symbol embroidered in gold thread onto the front. It looked exactly like the cape Arthur had always worn on patrol and during wars. The warlock sensed some powerful New enchantments that had been placed onto it and found himself touched, with tears springing into his eyes.

"Guys – I – I don't know what to say," he said, accepting the cloak and holding it in his hands as though it was made of solid gold. "Thank you so much. This is – I can't express my emotions right now." He was sniffing and tears were trailing down his cheeks.

Fred and George helped him put it on, while Aithusa and Kilgharrah waited on Harry's shoulders. He had to completely rearrange his clothes and his padded harness, but finally, after a few minutes, he was done. The Pendragon cloak was on top of his normal clothes and his harness was over the top. Aithusa and Kilgharrah fluttered back to his shoulders and Merlin found his right hand unconsciously floating downwards to grab Excalibur's sheath and he rested it there, feeling like he was finally _right_.

George continued, "And then we thought we'd get into the whole area of Defence Against the Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner." He turned around and showing them some dark clumps of black crystals; "This is cool. Look, Peruvian Instant Darkness Power, we're importing it. Handy if you want to make a quick escape." He handed them both about five pieces each.

"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," said Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black hooter-type objects that were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one."

"Handy," said Harry, impressed.

"Very," Merlin agreed.

"Here," said George, catching a few and throwing them to them both.

A young witch with short blonde hair poked her head round the curtain; Harry saw that she too was wearing magenta staff robes. "There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr Weasley and Mr Weasley," she said.

Harry found it very odd to hear Fred and George being called 'Mr Weasley', but Merlin didn't seem very bothered, as both the twins took it in their stride.

"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," said George promptly. "Harry, Merlin, both of you can help yourselves to whatever you want, alright? No charge."

"We can't do that!" protested Harry. Both of the warlocks had already pulled out their money-bags to pay for the Shield Cloaks, Shield Amulet, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and the Decoy Detonators.

"You guys don't pay here," said Fred firmly, waving away Harry and Merlins' gold coins.

"But –" Merlin started.

"Harry, you gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten," said George sternly. "And Merlin, you have us all those spells and you've allowed us to use your name on our brands. Take whatever you like; just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask."

George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers and Fred let Harry and Merlin back into the main part of the shop to find Hermione and Ginny still poring over the Patented Daydream Charms. Fred led the two of them off to look at some of their WonderWitch products. Harry went off with them, with Merlin trailing behind.

Merlin and Aithusa stopped to stare at a display.

_Merlin's Dragonlord Antics_

_Transform Into A Dragon For a Day!_

_Not For Sale To Under-Eighteens_

"Do you think they actually work?" Aithusa asked Merlin curiously.

Merlin shook his head. "No, they wouldn't turn you into a dragon. It's impossible. It's probably some transfiguration spell that turns you into some lizard bird hybrid."

Kilgharrah hooted and shuffled over on Merlin's shoulder. Still wondering about the Dragonlord Antics, Merlin hurried towards Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny, who were all looking at Pygmy Puffs.

"… Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" said Ginny, as Mrs Weasley appeared at her shoulder.

"A what?" Mrs Weasley said warily.

"Look, they're so sweet."

Mrs Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs, and Harry, Ron and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.

"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Merlin, stepping forwards to slip behind the trio, frowning.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Ron, peering out the window.

"Why, though?" said Hermione.

Harry said nothing; he was thinking too hard. Narcissa Malfoy would not have let her precious son out of her sight willingly; Malfoy must have made a real effort to free himself from her clutches. Harry, knowing and loathing Malfoy, was sure the reason could not be innocent. He glanced around. Mrs Weasley and Ginny were bending over the Pygmy Puffs. Mr Weasley was delightedly examining a pack of Muggle marked playing cards. Fred and George were both helping customers. On the other side of the glass, Hagrid was standing with his back to them, looking up and down the street.

Harry caught Merlin's eye and they both grinned at each other.

"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag.

"Oh – I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly towards Mrs Weasley.

"Come _on!" _Merlin hissed.

"Merlin – it's dangerous – we can't –"

"Hermione, get under the Cloak!" said Ron.

She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the Cloak with Harry, Merlin and Ron. Nobody noticed them banish; they were all too interested in Fred and George's products. Harry, Ron, Merlin and Hermione squeezed their way out of the door as quickly as they could, but by the time they gained the street, Malfoy had disappeared just as successfully as they had.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

"He was going in that direction, I think," murmured Harry as quietly as possible so that the humming Hagrid would not hear them.

"Wait," Merlin whispered, "Aithusa?" They shuffled in sync over into the shadows of a corner and the small white dragon slipped off Merlin's shoulder, landing on the ground underneath the Cloak silently before nodding up at Merlin.

"What's she doing?" Hermione mumbled through her lips that were squeezed together, so that nobody could hear her.

"She's going to follow Malfoy's scent and lead us to him," Merlin explained quietly. "She's placed a spell on herself to make her visible only to us."

They scurried along, peering left and right, through shop windows and doors, until Hermione pointed ahead; Aithusa was jumping and down, trying to catch their attention, flicking her tail around a corner.

"He's turning left," Hermione whispered, "Into Knockturn Alley."

"Big surprise," whispered Ron.

They turned the corner, Merlin leading them underneath the Cloak, conversing with Aithusa using telepathy. He suddenly froze and pulled them back into the wall. Harry was about to complain when suddenly Malfoy appeared, running backwards, checking that nobody was following him, looking around the street before scrambling into Knockturn Alley.

"Quick, or we'll loose him," said Harry, speeding up.

"Our feet'll be seen!" said Hermione anxiously, as the Cloak flapped a little around their ankles; it was much more difficult hiding all three of them under it nowadays, and now it was not only just Harry, Hermione and Ron, but Merlin as well, who was quite tall, and Kilgharrah, who was hunched down on Merlin's shoulder, tucked under his chin a bit.

"It doesn't matter," said Harry impatiently, "Just hurry!"

"What if we're caught?" Hermione fretted, pulling back a bit.

Merlin grabbed her arm and yanked her so she was at his side. "You're with me; if you get caught, it will be blamed on me, so don't worry."

But Knockturn Alley, the side street devoted to the Dark Arts, looked completely deserted. They peered into windows as they passed, but none of the shops seemed to have any customers at all. Harry supposed it was a bit of a giveaway in these dangerous and suspicious times to buy Dark artefacts – or at least, to be seem buying them.

Hermione gave Merlin's arm a hard pinch.

"Ouch!" he hissed. _Aithusa! Where's Malfoy?_

"Shh! Look! He's in there!" Hermione breathed in Merlin's ear.

They had drawn level with the only shop in Knockturn Alley that Harry had ever visited: Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister objects. There in the midst of the cases full of skulls and old bottles stood Draco Malfoy with his back to them, just visible beyond the very same large black cabinet in which Harry had once hidden to avoid Malfoy and his father. Judging by the movements of Malfoy's hands he was talking animatedly. The proprietor of the shop, Mr Borgin, an oily-haired, stooping man, stood facing Malfoy. He was wearing a curious expression of mingled resentment and fear.

Aithusa clambered up Merlin's leg, latching her claws into the fabric, hanging a few metres from the ground.

"If only we could hear what they're saying!" said Hermione.

Merlin thought for a moment before telling them excitedly, "We can! Hang on – damn –"Aithusa_, would you mind -?_

_Eavesdropping for you, Merlin, again? _Aithusa laughed telepathically. _It would be my pleasure._

"What's going on?" Ron asked furiously.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Hermione asked nervously.

Merlin hushed them as Aithusa dropped from his trouser leg onto the ground, scuttling from sight. Merlin wondered how she was going to get inside, but when he noticed Aithusa winging it up to the roof, where there was a window open. She swooped inside, still only visible to the four of them. She perched on the top of the black cabinet and flicked her tail to signal Merlin.

"Here, take my hands," Merlin whispered, holding them out.

"Why would we want to do that, mate?" Ron asked, looking slightly disgusted.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "As a Dragonlord I can look through Aithusa's eyes," he explained. "And I can share that vision with you, if you _hold my hands_."

Ron no longer hesitated and grabbed one of the warlock's hands. Harry placed his hand on top of Ron and Merlin's and gripped it tightly, impatient, wanting to hear what Malfoy was saying. Hermione hesitated, but eventually took Merlin's other hand.

Merlin flashed them a reassuring grin. "Now, you might feel a small jolt, but don't let go of my hands, okay?"

After they had nodded firmly, Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and forced his way into Aithusa's mind. There was a small click inside of his own conscience and by the way Harry, Hermione and Ron had winced beside him underneath the Cloak, they had received it too, but much more violently. Slowly, Merlin opened his eyes, and held his breath when he found he was looking through his dragon's eyes.

_"… you know how to fix it?" Malfoy asked, with a slightly vicious voice._

_"Possibly," said Borgin, in a tone that suggested that he was unwilling to commit himself. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it to the shop?"_

_"I can't," said Malfoy, looking disgusted. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it."_

_Borgin licked his lips nervously. "Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything at all."_

_"No?" Malfoy said, sneering unpleasantly, taking a threatening step forwards. "Perhaps this will make you more confident…"…_

"Ow, Ron!" Ron had accidentally stepped on Merlin's foot, breaking the connection. "Watch where you're stepping!"

"Merlin, quickly, what was he saying?" Harry gasped, grabbing Merlin's hand again.

Merlin quickly dove back into Aithusa's mind, dragging his friends with him.

_Borgin looked very frightened, terrified. Malfoy was standing in front of him, leering. Malfoy pointed at him, stepping away._

_"Tell anyone," said Malfoy, "And there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend; he'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention." Malfoy had a cruel nasty smirk upon his face._

_Borgin shook his head desperately, eyes filled with fear. "There will be no need for –"_

_Malfoy laughed bitterly. "I'll decide that. Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep THAT one safe. I'll need it."_

_"Perhaps you'd like to take it now, sir?" Borgin asked him, sounding desperate, pleading._

_Malfoy turned around again, looking irritated. "No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid little man. How would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it."_

_"Of course not, sir," Borgin rushed out hurriedly, his bow as deep as the one Harry had once seem him give Lucius Malfoy._

_"Not a word to anyone, Borgin," Malfoy reminded him ferociously, his eyes livid. "That includes my mother, do you understand?"_

_"Naturally, naturally," murmured Borgin, terrified, as he bowed again._

The next moment, the bell over the door tinkled loudly as Malfoy stalked out of the shop looking very pleased with himself, shocking Merlin out of his trance. Malfoy passed so close to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Merlin that they felt the Cloak flutter around their knees again. Inside the shop, Borgin remained frozen; his unctuous smile had vanished; he looked worried.

"What was that about?" whispered Ron, as Aithusa joined them under the Cloak, climbing up to join Kilgharrah on Merlin's shoulders once again.

"Dunno," said Harry, thinking hard. "He wants something mended… and he wants to reserve something in there… Aithusa, could you see what he pointed at when he said 'that one'?"

The white dragon shook her head. "Sorry, Harry, I lost sight of him for a few seconds."

"What about what he showed Borgin?" Ron asked eagerly. "Did you see that?"

This time, Merlin answered for her. "When the connection between us broke, Aithusa was rendered sightless for a few seconds. She wouldn't have seen what Malfoy was showing Borgin."

"You guys stay here for a second," whispered Hermione.

Merlin's eyes flashed in concern and alarm; "What are you -!?"

But Hermione had already ducked out from under the Cloak. She checked her hair in the reflection in the glass then marched into the shop, setting the bell tinkling again. Unfortunately, Harry, Ron and Merlin were not able to hear what was happening this time.

_I think I know what Malfoy showed Borgin, _Aithusa told Merlin worriedly.

Merlin's heart leapt. _Really? What?_

_I think… oh, Merlin, I think he's replaced his father as a Death Eater._

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut. _I feared as much. He probably has the Dark Mark branded into his left arm…_

_At Hogwarts we'll have to tread carefully around him, Merlin._

_Aithusa, would you keep an eye on him for me when we reach the school? I want to know what he's doing, where he's going, what he's planning._

_Of course, Merlin. Should we tell Harry?_

_No,_ Merlin answered at once, firmly. _We can't tell him. We are here to watch over events, not influence them. I can help Harry understand his destiny, but I can't control it for him._

Suddenly, Hermione burst out of the shop, Borgin slamming the door behind her, swinging the sign saying OPEN over so it said CLOSED. Merlin only had to guess what had happened. Hermione had attempted to find out what Malfoy had reserved, and instead made Borgin suspicious, so he had chucked her out.

"Ah well," said Ron, throwing the Cloak back over Hermione. "Worth a try, but you were a bit obvious –"

"Well, next time you can show me how it's done, Master of Mystery!" she snapped back in reply.

Ron and Hermione bickered all the way back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, where they were forced to stop so they could dodge undetected around a very anxious-looking Mrs Weasley and Hagrid, who had clearly noticed their absence. Merlin swore in Old English when he saw Fred and George searching the shop for them, dragging the three of them to the back room.

Once hidden behind a Shield Cloak rack, Harry whipped off the Invisibility Cloak, hid it in his bag and joined in with the other three when they insisted, in answer to Mrs Weasley's accusations, that they had been in the back room all along and that she could not have searched properly.

As they were walking back down Diagon Alley, Harry, Hermione and Ron jogged up to Merlin, to talk. Luckily, Merlin was at the back of the group, so everybody else was up front, so they couldn't hear their conversation.

"It was very irresponsible of you, Merlin," Hermione said gravely.

"What was?" Merlin asked innocently.

Ginny fell back to join them and shot Merlin a mischievous grin. "To help Hermione, Ron and Harry escape from Mum's clutches to spy on Malfoy."

"Are you angry?" Hermione asked her.

"No. Just annoyed that you didn't invite me along," Ginny said, shrugging.

"Next time we decide to do some snooping, we'll pick you up then," Ron said teasingly.

"You really shouldn't have allowed them to, Merlin," Ginny told him, "But I'm guessing you've done that kind of sneaking loads of times…"

Merlin shrugged; "I did it every week in Camelot."

"Did you ever get caught?" Hermione asked, trying to prove her point.

Merlin looked guilty and slightly ashamed. "Maybe once. I was following Morgana after she betrayed Camelot… she was visiting her sister, Morgause. They caught me, tied me up and left me to the Serkets…"

"What are Serkets?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked completely horrified for Merlin; "Oh, Merlin, you poor thing! Serkets are like completely _massive _poisonous scorpions, Harry. They can kill you with one sting."

"I'm glad Kilgharrah was there, otherwise I would be dead," Merlin chuckled trying to turn it into a joke.

"You got stung?" Hermione cried out. "Oh, Merlin! How are you still alive?!"

Merlin didn't answer, so Hermione rushed off to help Mrs Weasley carry Ginny's books. Merlin was carrying his own as well as his new school uniform; Aithusa was carrying a few books as well in her claws and Kilgharrah was flying up above, Merlin's potion ingredients hanging from his talons.

"Do you know what Malfoy was doing?" Harry whispered grimly.

Merlin set his jaw. "I have an idea," he said quietly. "And my ideas are usually right. I'm hoping that just this once, I'm wrong…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

Harry spent a lot of the last week of the holidays pondering the meaning of Malfoy's behaviour in Knockturn Alley. What had disturbed him most was the almost satisfied look on Malfoy's face as he had left the shop. Nothing that made Malfoy look that happy could be good news. To his slight annoyance, however, neither Ron nor Hermione seemed quite as curious about Malfoy's activities as he was; or at least, they seemed to get bored of discussing it after a few days. Merlin had left the Burrow once again to help the Order, so Harry could not discuss Malfoy with him or Aithusa.

"Yes, I've already agreed it was fishy, Harry," said Hermione, a little impatiently. She was sitting on the window-sill in Fred and George's room with her feet up on one of the cardboard boxes filled with objects for the joke shop and she had only grudgingly looked up from her new copy of _Advanced Rune Translations _because Kilgharrah, Merlin's eagle-owl, had nipped her cheek. Merlin had asked Hermione to look after Kilgharrah until they got to Hogwarts since he was so busy with the Order and she had happily agreed. "But there could be a lot of explanations."

"Maybe he's broken his Hand of Glory," said Ron vaguely, as he attempted to straighten his broomstick's bent tail twigs. "Remember that shrivelled-up arm, that Malfoy had last year? Revolting, wasn't it?"

"But what about when he said 'Don't forget to keep that one safe'?" asked Harry for the umpteenth time. "That sounded to me like Borgin's got another one of the broken objects and Malfoy wants both."

"You reckon?" said Ron, now trying to scrape some dirt off his broom handle.

"Yeah, I do," said Harry. When neither Ron nor Hermione answered, he said, "Malfoy's father's in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?"

Ron looked up, blinking. "Malfoy, revenge?"

"Yeah, he's the type," Harry said seriously.

Ron shrugged. "What can he do about it?"

"That's my point, I don't know!" said Harry, frustrated. "But he's up to something and I think that we should take it seriously. His father's a Death Eater and –" Harry broke off, his eyes fixed on the window behind Hermione, his mouth open. A startling thought had just occurred to him.

"Harry?" said Hermione in an anxious voice. "What's wrong?"

"Your scar's not hurting again, is it?" asked Ron nervously.

"He's a Death Eater," said Harry slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater! _That's _what Merlin was worried about! He wanted to be wrong – Malfoy is a _Death Eater!_"

There was a silence, then Ron erupted into laughter. "_Malfoy_? He's sixteen, Harry! You think You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join?"

"It seems very unlikely, Harry," said Hermione, in a repressive sort of voice.

Harry continued to argue with Ron and Hermione, insisting that it was true, that even Merlin knew it. He continued to list reasons, like in Madam Malkin's and in Borgin and Burke's, but his two best friends refused to believe him.

Frustrated, Harry left his friends and instead went into the kitchen. Fleur was sitting at the table discussing wedding plans with Bill. Nobody from the Order was here that night, so it was quite quiet.

"Harry!" said Mrs Weasley loudly, cutting across Fleur. "Good, I wanted to explain about the security tomorrow. We've got Ministry cars again and there will be Aurors waiting at the station –"

"Is Merlin going to be there?" interrupted Harry, handing over his dirty clothes and Quidditch robes.

"No, I don't think so; he's been stationed somewhere else from what Kingsley told me. I think he'll be joining you on the train half-way through the journey."

"Where's he been stationed?" Harry asked curiously.

"Can't tell you, Harry," Mrs Weasley said in an apologetic voice. "You'd better get on, dear; I want the trunks ready tonight, if possible, so we don't have the usual last minute scramble in the morning."

And in fact, their departure the following morning was smoother than usual. The Ministry cars glided up to the front of the Burrow to find them waiting; trunks packed, Hermione's cat Crookshanks safely enclosed in his travelling basket, Hedwig, Ron's owl Pigwidgeon, Merlin's eagle-owl Kilgharrah and Ginny's new purple Pygmy Puff, Arnold, in cages.

There was no cheerful Hagrid or grinning Merlin waiting for them at King's Cross Station. Instead, two grim-faced Aurors in dark Muggle suits moved forwards the moment the cars stopped and, flanking the party, marched them into the station quickly.

"Quickly, quickly, through the barrier," said Mrs Weasley, who seemed a little flustered by this austere efficiency. "Harry had better go first, with –"

She looked enquiringly at one of the Aurors, who nodded briefly, seized Harry's upper arm and attempted to steer him towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

"I can walk, thanks," said Harry irritably, jerking his arm out of the Auror's grip. He pushed his trolley directly at the solid barrier, ignoring his silent companion, and found himself, a second later, standing on platform nine and three-quarters, where the scarlet Hogwarts Express stood belching steam over the crown.

Hermione and the Weasleys joined him within seconds. Without wanting to consult his grim-faces Auror, Harry motioned to Ron and Hermione to follow him up the platform, looking for an empty compartment.

"We can't, Harry," said Hermione, looking apologetic. "Ron and I've got to go to the prefect carriage first and then patrol the corridors for a bit."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Harry, a bit disappointed, but hiding it.

"You'd better get on the train, all of you, you've only got a few minutes to go," said Mrs Weasley, consulting her watch. "Well, have a lovely term, Ron… Oh, and Harry, Sirius told me to give you this –" It was a small silver figurine of a stag, with a proud head sporting a fine set of antlers. Harry gripped it, smiling. On its belly, it was engraved: _To Prongs, Happy Sixteenth Birthday! From Padfoot._

"Mr Weasley, can I have a quick word?" said Harry, making up his mind on the spur of the moment.

"Of course," said Mr Weasley, who looked slightly surprised, but followed Harry out of earshot of the others nevertheless.

Harry had already thought it through carefully and come to the conclusion that, if he were tell anyone, Mr Weasley would be the right person; firstly, because he worked at the Ministry and was therefore in the best position to make further investigations, and secondly, because he thought that there was not too much risk of Mr Weasley exploding with anger and banning them from seeing Merlin because he was too daring.

"When we were in Diagon Alley –" Harry began, but Mr Weasley forestalled him with a grimace.

"Am I about to discover where you, Merlin, Ron and Hermione disappeared to while you were supposed to be in the back room of Fred and George's shop?"

"How did you –?"

"Harry, please. You're talking to the man who raised Fred and George."

"Er… yeah, all right, we weren't in the back room."

Mr Weasley sighed. "Very well, then, let's hear the worst."

"Well, we followed Draco Malfoy. We used my Invisibility Cloak."

"Did you have any particular reason for doing so, or was it a mere whim? Merlin was meant to be protecting you, and it was very irresponsible for him to let you –"

"There was a reason," Harry butted in, not wanting to hear any more of what Mr Weasley was going to say about Merlin. "I thought Malfoy was up to something, and so did Merlin," continued Harry, disregarding Mr Weasley's look of mingled exasperation and amusement. "Malfoy had given his mother the slip and I wanted to know why."

"Of course you did," said Mr Weasley, sounding resigned. "And judging by your tone and the evidence… Merlin did too, so he allowed you to follow Malfoy. Well? Did you find out why Malfoy was on his own then?"

Harry began to explain what they had seen in Borgin and Burke's through Aithusa's, while Mr Weasley listened carefully. He had to keep it short and snappy, since they only had a few minutes until the train left.

Harry took a deep breathe, adding, "There's something else too… I think Malfoy's been branded with the Dark Mark. I think Malfoy's replaced his father as a Death Eater."

Mr Weasley looked taken back. After a moment he said, "Harry, I doubt whether You-Know-Who would allow a sixteen-year-old to –"

"Merlin knows," Harry blurted out suddenly. "He knows, I know he does."

"I'll…" Mr Weasley exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair, "Alright then, I'll speak with him about it too – But really, Harry, it's highly unlikely that You-Know-Who would –"

"Does anybody really know what You-Know-Who would or wouldn't do?" asked Harry angrily. "Mr Weasley, I'm sorry, but isn't it worth investigating? If Malfoy wanted something fixing and he needs to threaten Borgin to get it done, it's probably something Dark or dangerous, isn't it?"

"I doubt it, to be honest, Harry," said Mr Weasley slowly. "You see, when Lucius Malfoy was arrested, we raided his house. We took everything away that might have been remotely dangerous."

"I think you missed something," said Harry stubbornly.

"Well, maybe," said Mr Weasley, but Harry could tell that Mr Weasley was humouring him. "I'll have a talk to Merlin about it, next time I see him, alright? Speak to him on the train."

There was a whistle behind them, nearly everyone had boarded the train and the doors were closing. Harry hurried forwards while the Weasleys helped him load his trunk onto the train.

"Now, dear, you're coming to us for Christmas, as is Merlin; it's all fixed up with Dumbledore, so we'll see you quite soon," said Mrs Weasley through the window, as Harry slammed the door shut behind him and the train began to move. "You make sure you look after yourself and –"

The train was gathering speed.

" – be good and –"

She was jogging to keep up now.

" – stay safe!"

Harry waved until the train had turned the corner and Mr and Mrs Weasley were lost from view, then turned to see where the others had got to. He supposed Ron and Hermione were cloistered in the prefect carriage, but Ginny was a little way along the corridor, chatting to some friends. He made his way towards her, dragging his trunk.

People stared shamelessly as he approached. They even pressed their faces against the windows of their compartments to get a look at him. He had expected an upswing in the amount of gaping and gawping he would have to endure after all the 'Chosen One' rumours in the _Daily Prophet_, but he did not enjoy the sensation of standing in a very bright spotlight.

His day couldn't get much worse.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

Harry tapped Ginny on the shoulder. "Fancy trying to find a compartment?"

"I can't, Harry, I said I'd meet Dean," said Ginny brightly. "See you later."

"Right," said Harry. He felt a strange twinge of annoyance as she walked away, her long red hair dancing behind her. He had become so use to her presence over the summer that he had almost forgotten that Ginny did not hang around with him, Ron and Hermione while at school. Then he blinked and looked around; he was surrounded by mesmerized girls, gazing at him out of their compartment windows.

"Hi, Harry!" said a familiar voice from behind him.

"Neville!" said Harry in relief, turning around to see a round-faced boy struggling towards him.

"Hello, Harry," said a girl with long hair and large, misty eyes, who was just behind Neville.

"Luna, hi, how are you?"

"Very well, thank you," said Luna. She was clutching a magazine to her chest; the large letters on the front announced that there was a pair of free Spectrespecs inside.

"_The Quibbler _still going strong, then?" said Harry, who felt a certain fondness for the magazine, having given it an exclusive interview the previous year.

"Oh yes, circulation's well up," said Luna happily.

"Let's find seats," said Harry, and the three of them set of along the train through hordes of silently staring students. At last they found an empty compartment and Harry hurried inside gratefully.

"They're even staring at _us_," said Neville, indicating himself and Luna, "Because we're with you!"

"They're staring at you because you were at the Ministry too," said Harry, as he hoisted his trunk up into the luggage rack. "Our little adventure there was all over the _Daily Prophet_, you must've seen it."

"Yes, I thought Gran would be angry about the publicity of it all, but she was really pleased!" said Neville gleefully. "She said I'm starting to live up to my dad at long last. Look, she even bought me a new wand!" He pulled it out, showing it to them. It was long and thin, made out of a hard, dark cherry wood. "Cherry and unicorn hair," he said proudly. "We think it was the last one Ollivander ever sold, he vanished the next day – oi, come back here, Trevor!" He dived under the seat to retrieve his toad as it made one of its frequent bids for freedom.

"Are we still doing DA meetings this year, Harry?" asked Luna, who was detaching a pair of psychedelic spectacles from the middle of _The Quibbler_.

"No point now we've got rid of Umbridge, is there?" said Harry, sitting down.

Neville bumped his head against the seat as he emerged underneath it. He looked disappointed. "I liked the DA! I learned loads with you!"

"I enjoyed the meetings too," said Luna serenely.

Harry shrugged. "I'd have to talk to Hermione and Ron about it. We could find time for the meetings, but it might only be on a Saturday each week, or something like that."

"Merlin could help," Neville prompted him, looking hopeful. "He could teach us loads about that Old Magic stuff!"

"I guess we could try to keep it going…" Harry said, in deep thought.

"That's good," said Luna happily, "The meetings last year were great. It was like having friends."

This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment. Before he could respond, however, there was a disturbance outside their compartment door; a group of fourth-year girls were whispering and giggling together on the other side of the glass.

"You ask him!"

"No, you!"

"I'll do it!"

And one of them, a bold-looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin and long black hair, pushed her way through the door. "Hi, Harry, I'm Romilda, Romilda Vane," she said loudly and confidently. Why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't have to sit with _them_," she added in a stage whisper, indicating Neville's bottom, which was sticking out from under the seat again as he groped around for Trevor, and Luna, who was now wearing her free Spectrespecs, which gave her the look of a demented, multicoloured owl.

"They're friends of mine," said Harry coldly, "They helped me fight at the Ministry."

"Oh," said the girl, looking very surprised. "Oh. Okay."

And she withdrew, sliding the door closed behind her.

"People expect you to have cooler friends than us," said Luna, once again displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty.

"You are cool," said Harry shortly. "None of them were at the Ministry. They didn't fight with me."

"That's a very nice thing to say," beamed Luna, and she pushed her Spectrespecs further up her nose and settled down to read _The Quibbler_.

"We didn't face _him_, though," said Neville, emerging from under the seat with fluff and dust in his hair and a resigned-looking Trevor in his hand. "You did. You and Merlin. You should hear my gran talk about you. 'That Harry Potter has got more backbone than the whole Ministry'. She'd give anything to have you as a grandson."

Harry laughed uncomfortably and changed to subject to O.W.L. results as soon as he could. While Neville recited his grades and wondered aloud whether of not he'd be allowed to take a Transfiguration N.E.W.T. with only an Acceptable, Harry turned when he heard an audible pop outside the compartment.

He leapt to his feet in shock and joy as soon as he saw the tall, thin-looking man with blue eyes, wearing a Pendragon red cloak, with Excalibur in a sheath at his side, a white dragon on his right shoulder grinning at them and a large black eagle-owl on his left, whom he seemed to have picked up from Hermione.

"Merlin!" Luna said happily, placing her _Quibbler _on the seat, blinking behind her large multicoloured plastic glasses.

"Hey guys," Merlin greeted them, sliding into the compartment and shutting the door behind him quietly. "How are you doing, Neville, Luna?"

"We're fine, thanks," Neville said excitedly. "How are you?"

"Alright, thanks, just a bit tired," Merlin told them, smiling, settling down on a seat beside Harry; Aithusa leapt down from his shoulder to stretch out on the floor before jumping into Merlin's lap and allowing her Dragonlord to stroke her scales gently. "I've been dealing with some Dementors that escaped into France… not nice work, I can assure you… I'll tell you about it, later…"

Merlin's eyes glazed over for a seconds, as though he was lost in memory. Harry hesitated before snapped his fingers once.

"You alright, Merlin? You look funny," said Neville.

Merlin started. "Sorry – I –"

"Wrackspurt got you?" asked Luna sympathetically, peering at Merlin through her enormous coloured spectacles.

"I – what?" Merlin now looked seriously confused.

"A Wrackspurt… they're invisible, they float in though your ears and make your brain go fuzzy," she said. "I thought I felt one zooming around in here earlier…"

She flapped her hands at thin air, as though beating off large invisible moths. Harry, Neville and Merlin caught each others' eyes and hastily began to talk about Quidditch.

The weather beyond the train windows was as patchy as it had been all summer; they passed through stretches of chilling mist, then out into weak, clear sunlight. It was during one of the clear spells, when the sun was visible almost directly overhead, that Ron and Hermione entered the compartment at last.

Ron and Hermione greeted Merlin happily, squeezing in between Harry as Merlin swapped seats so he was sitting beside Luna.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," said Ron longingly.

"Ron, do you ever think about something else other than your stomach?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow, but gazing at Ron fondly.

Ron hastily changed the subject. "Guess what? Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when he passed."

Harry sat up straight, interested. Merlin shot him a warning look. It was not like Malfoy to pass up the chance to demonstrate his power as a prefect, which he had happily abused all the previous year.

"What did he do when he saw you?" Merlin asked Ron, kicking Harry's leg to get him to snap out of it.

"The usual," said Ron indifferently, demonstrating a rude hand gesture. "Not like him though, is it? Well – _that _is –" he did the hand gesture again, "but why isn't he out there bullying first-years?"

"Dunno," said Harry, but his mind was racing. Didn't this look as though Malfoy had more important things on his mind than bullying younger students?

"Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad," said Hermione. "Maybe being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think he's –"

But before he would expound on his theory, the compartment door slid open again and a breathless third-year girl stepped inside. "I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Merlin Ambrosius and Harry P-Potter," she faltered, as her eyes met Harry's and she turned scarlet. She was holding out three scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon.

Merlin took them, thanking her, and the girl stumbled back out of the compartment. Merlin handed Harry and Neville their scrolls.

"Merlin Ambrosius?" Hermione asked him, sounding interested.

"I'm pretending to be a Druid descendant," Merlin explained. "I was planning on Merlin Emrys, but Dumbledore thought that using my own name would only create suspicion throughout the school. Merlin Ambrosius is best. Anyway, it's not like I'm abusing the name; it _is _one of my Houses after all."

Harry, meanwhile, was unravelling his scroll.

"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Merlin began to unroll his.

"An invitation," said Harry.

_Harry,_

_I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C. I would also be honoured if you could ask your great friend, Merlin Emrys, who is under the disguise of Merlin Ambrosius, if he could attend along with you._

_Sincerely, Professor H.E.F. Slughorn._


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" asked Neville, looking perplexedly at his own invitation.

"New teacher," Harry told him. "Well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?"

"But what does he want me for?" asked Neville nervously, as though he were expecting detention.

"No idea," said Harry, which was not entirely true, though he had no proof yet that his hunch was correct. "Merlin?"

Merlin was quietly reading his own letter. He looked up at them, looking worried, before levitating the letter and causing it to burst into flames with a flash of his eyes. Nobody flinched, but they stared curiously.

"I knew this would happen," moaned Merlin. "Harry, I can't go. Slughorn knows who I am, that's the only reason he wants me."

"Go on, mate, it won't be so bad," said Ron, though he looked sympathetic.

"No, I can't go, I swore to myself I'd stay under the radar." Merlin was shaking his head frantically. "Harry, you'll just have to tell him that I had to leave to help the Order or something."

"Alright, then," Harry said, though he was slightly disappointed that he would be going to this lunch with only one of his friends. "Listen, Neville," he added, seized by a sudden brainwave, "Let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to."

Harry and Neville departed for the lunch, and Merlin could only hope that his plan would work. Luna went back to reading _The Quibbler _without another word, still wearing the massive Spectrespecs while Hermione and Ron turned to bombard Merlin with questions. Aithusa clambered down from Merlin's lap to the now empty beside him and curled up on the cushion, tucking her white snout underneath her tail and settling down for a quick nap, while Kilgharrah the eagle-owl hopped from Merlin's shoulder to the luggage rack above, fluffing out his black feathers and placing his head under his wing to sleep.

"How many Dementors?" Ron asked him eagerly.

Merlin grimaced. "Three, four? I'm not sure. All I know is that I made them explode…"

"You _exploded _four Dementors?" Hermione asked, looking impressed. "Well, I guess you don't need to use a Patronus, with all your Old Magic."

"I can use a Patronus," Merlin told them, shrugging, "It just isn't as powerful."

"What does it take form as?" Ron asked him, standing up and looking out the window to search for the lunch trolley.

"A dragon, naturally," Merlin laughed. "That's what my Animagus form is as well."

"You're an Animagus?" Ron yelped. "Whoa, you have _got _to show us!

"You can transform into a dragon, that's handy," Luna said vaguely, still reading her _Quibbler_.

"It's not just handy, it's down-right awesome!" Ron crowed. "Oh god, mate, you have _got _to show me one day."

Merlin nodded, shrugging. "Sure, why not?"

Hermione gazed at Merlin for a few seconds before asking curiously, "Do you have a wand? Because during school, you can't just use your Old Magic, you have to act normal, like a normal student. You'll have to use a wand."

Merlin nodded, smiling. He reached down towards Excalibur's sheath and the pair were surprised to see not only was it a sword sheath, but a wand sheath as well. Merlin gently pulled out a long, thin wand that was crafted beautifully. Two different types of wood, one a dark shiny cherry and the other a black ebony, were woven around each other in a spiral; the end was carved so that it curled around Merlin's hand and was shaped like an Old Dragon, with two tiny topaz stone eyes.

"I made it myself," Merlin explained, as Hermione, Ron and Luna leaned it, entranced and awed by the design. "Its core is three dragon scales; one from Kilgharrah, one from Aithusa and one from me, as an Animagus. It's carved out of two woods; the wood from the trees on the Isle of the Blessed and the wood from the trees on the Isle of Avalon, in the middle of the Lake. This wand is over four hundred years old and has been blessed by the Lady of the Lake and…" Merlin's eyes watered slightly, "King Arthur and Queen Guinevere of Camelot."

"It must be extremely powerful," Hermione breathed in awe.

Merlin suddenly laughed, as though Hermione's statement amused him greatly; "It's useless." He handed it to Ron. "Here, go on, try it."

Ron took the wand gingerly in his hand, treating it as though it was made of gold. Carefully, he gripped it in his hand and pointed it; "_Lumos!" _Nothing happened. Ron frowned; "_Incendio! Lumos! Protego! Diffindo!_" Nothing.

Still frowning confusedly, Ron passed the wand over to Hermione, who flicked it several times, casting a few charms; there was no change, and the wand did not do anything. "It has no magic at all!" Hermione cried out, shocked, as she handed it back to Merlin, who was grinning.

"Nope, none at all," Merlin said, smiling widely. "It channels Old Magic. Only I can use this wand. Because it has a dragon scale core, and I'm a Dragonlord and the scales came from my dragons and essentially me, it only responds to my commands. If I had any normal wand, made out of unicorn hair or phoenix feather, the wand would simply explode because of my level of power. But this wand is joined to me, so works only for me, and is attached to my magic."

"That's incredible," Hermione admitted.

"Thanks," Merlin said gratefully.

The lunch trolley arrived and Merlin paid for all of them, buying pumpkin pasties and also some sweets so that they could share them later on, when Harry got back. All four of them changed into their robes; Luna proudly wore her Ravenclaw blue tie while Hermione and Ron sported red and gold to signify they were in Gryffindor. Merlin changed into his black school robes and swung his Shield Cloak back around him as he attached Excalibur and his wand's sheath to his school belt and his padded harness over his robes. He felt odd; everybody else in the school would be wearing a tie except him, and they would also be wearing black school cloaks while he proudly wore the Pendragon red cape from Camelot.

About an hour later, Neville arrived back from Slughorn's lunch party with Ginny in tow stating that Slughorn had been extremely disappointed that Merlin had not attended.

"Where's Harry?" Merlin asked anxiously. He had an idea – a warning signal calling to him within him – that Harry was once again doing something incredibly stupid.

"He ran off under the Invisibility Cloak," Ginny told him, frowning. "I don't know why…"

Merlin's heart stopped. Very slowly, he turned towards Neville and asked him, "By any chance, were you near the Slytherin carriage?"

Neville squinted, trying to remember. "Yes, I think so. He was following Zabini Blaise, you know, that git from Slytherin –"

Merlin didn't need to hear anymore. He had already leapt out of his seat and was desperately trying to claw the door open. Harry had gone to spy on Malfoy, he knew that much. But Merlin's destiny was attached to Harry's and he could tell that something was about to go wrong.

"Merlin, sit down, the train's stopping!" Hermione cried out, trying to tug him back into his seat.

Merlin wrenched his arm out of her grip as Aithusa and Kilgharrah leapt onto his shoulders. The train was indeed slowing and students were standing in their compartments, heaving their trunks down from the luggage racks as they prepared to make an exit. Merlin sprinted through the corridors while they were still clear and his heart filled with dread as the train lurched to a halt. He hurried out onto the Hogsmeade platform. He could see Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny and Neville clambering out of their own carriage, looking around for him anxiously, but Merlin didn't pay any attention to them. Aithusa jumped from his shoulder, spreading her wings to search the train from above.

Something had happened to Harry, and Merlin knew he _had _to find him. Slowly, the platform emptied and several of the remaining students stared as Merlin sprinted back and forth down the platform, searching in carriages.

"Merlin!"

"Tonks!" Merlin cried out, turning around in relief.

"What are you doing here?" Tonks asked him, confused, walking towards him, clutching her wand. "Aren't you meant to be heading up to the castle?"

"Harry's gone missing," Merlin told her worriedly. "I think he went to spy on some Slytherins but got caught. I can't find him. I think he might be hurt."

Tonks looked concerned and her eyes wandered across the train. Suddenly, she pointed. "Look, there. That's the Slytherin carriage. All the curtains have been drawn, but the lights are on."

"I saw Malfoy come out of their only five minutes ago," Merlin told her, his voice filled with dread. "He looked quite satisfied with something…"

"Quick, go find Harry and get out of there. The train's going to leave for London in a few minutes," said Tonks, looking around. "I'll wait for you here on the platform."

Merlin rushed towards the carriage and yanked the door open; edging inside, at first, the carriage seemed to be empty, but then Merlin heard soft, laboured breathing. Holding his hand out, Merlin's eyes flashed gold. The Invisibility Cloak flew into his hand and Merlin was not surprised to see Harry lying underneath it, his fingers broken and blood trickling down his face from his nose. Rolling his eyes, Merlin uttered the counter- for the curse and Harry gasped, forcing himself upwards so he was on his knees.

"Seriously, Harry, can you ever keep out of trouble?" Merlin said, rolling his eyes, helping Harry to his feet.

Harry wiped the blood off his bruised face with the back of his hand, looking guiltily up at Merlin, who had the Invisibility Cloak stuffed under his arm.

"We'd better get out of here, quickly," Merlin said, as the train windows became obscured with steam and the train began to move out of the station. "Come on, we'll have to jump."

Harry hurried after him into the corridor. Merlin pulled open the train door and leapt gracefully onto the platform, which seemed to be sliding underneath them as the train gathered momentum. Harry followed him, staggered a little on landing, then straightened up in time to see the gleaming scarlet steam engine pick up speed, round the corner and disappear from view.

The cold night air was soothing on Harry's throbbing nose. Tonks ran up to them both, Kilgharrah and Aithusa on her shoulders. The two animals transferred to Merlin, staring at Harry with their large eyes. Tonks and Merlin were gazing at Harry; he felt angry and embarrassed that he had been discovered in such a ridiculous position. Silently, Merlin handed him back the Invisibility Cloak.

"Was it Malfoy?" Merlin guessed.

"Yes," Harry said bitterly. "Thanks for… well…"

"No problem," said Merlin, without smiling.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

"Come on, we need to get up to Hogwarts," Tonks told them both, leading them from the platform. From what Harry could see in the darkness, her hair was mousy-brown and not the usual bubblegum pink. She looked quiet miserable, though Harry couldn't think of any reason why.

"I can fix your nose if you stand still," Merlin offered him.

Harry did not think much of this idea; he had been intending to visit Madam Pomfrey, the matron, in whom he had a little more confidence when it came to Healing spells, but it seemed rude to say this to a five hundred year old warlock who was highly skilled in all magic and was extremely powerful, so he stood stock-still and closed his eyes.

Seconds later, Harry's nose felt very hot, and then very cold. He raised a hand and felt it gingerly. It seemed to be mended; Merlin had fixed his nose without as much as a word. "Thanks."

"You'd better put that Cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school," said Tonks, unsmiling just like Merlin.

As Harry swung the Cloak back over himself, Merlin took out a beautifully-carved wand that Harry had never seen before. Merlin waved it carelessly; an immense silvery creature with large wings and a long winding tail erupted from it and streaked off into the darkness. Harry couldn't make out what animals it was, but was impressed by the largeness and grace of the creature.

"Was that a Patronus?" asked Harry, who had seen Dumbledore send messages like this.

"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you, or they'll worry," Merlin told him.

"Come on, we'd better not dawdle," Tonks told them both, glancing back at them from over her shoulder.

The three of them set off down the lane that led to the school.

"How did you find me?" Harry asked Merlin, turning to the warlock.

"You didn't come back from Slughorn's lunch with Ginny or Neville and they told me that you'd run off. I only had to guess what you'd been planning," Merlin informed him, his eyes ahead on the path. "I noticed that you didn't leave the train and Tonks saw that the curtains were drawn in the Slytherin carriage."

"Tonks, what are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I've been stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection," said Tonks, "Though it's kinda pointless now Merlin's up there in the castle with you all."

"Is it just you who's stationed up here, or -?"

"No, Proudfood, Savage and Dawlish are here too. Sometimes Remus comes up here as well."

"Dawlish? That Auror that attacked Dumbledore last year?"

"That's right," Merlin answered for her, nodding.

"Does he know about you?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

Merlin paused, looking around, before reassuring him, "No, he doesn't. Only the Aurors in the Order know."

"The Minister for Magic?" Harry prompted.

"Yes," Merlin said, without hesitation this time. "He knows."

"But he's sworn to secrecy," Tonks added, "If he tells anybody, he'll suddenly find he has massive pus-filled boils all over his –"

"Yes, thank you, Tonks," Merlin cut her off, shooting her a look.

They trudged up the dark, deserted lane, following the freshly made carriage tracks. Harry looked sideways at Tonks under his Cloak. Last year she had been inquisitive, she had laughed easily, she had made jokes; now she seemed older and much more serious and purposeful. Was this all the effect of what had happened at the Ministry, or when Merlin had arrived and revealed himself to the Order? Harry couldn't tell. And so they tramped on through the cold night in silence, Tonks' long cloak whispering on the ground behind them with Aithusa puffing smoke out of her nostrils on Merlin's shoulder.

With great relief, Harry finally saw the tall pillars on either side of the gates, each topped with a winged boar. He was cold, he was hungry, and he was quite keen to leave this gloomy Tonks behind. But when he put out a hand to push open the gates, he found them chained shut.

"_Alohomora!" _he said confidently, pointing his wand at the padlock, but nothing happened.

"That won't work on these," said Merlin. "Dumbledore bewitched them himself."

Harry looked around. "Could you -?"

"No, I can't. Well, I could, but I won't. I imagine it would seriously piss Dumbledore off," said Merlin flatly. "And we can't climb over any of the walls either; anti-intruder jinxes on all of them and they would be difficult to take down. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer. Some of these enchantments I cast myself."

"Well then," said Harry, starting to feel annoyed at his lack of helpfulness, "I suppose we'll just have to sleep out here and wait for morning."

"Someone's coming down for you," said Tonks. "Look."

A lantern was bobbing at the distant foot of the castle. Harry was so pleased to see it he felt he could even endure Filch's wheezy criticisms of his tardiness and rants about how his timekeeping would improve with the regular application of thumbscrews. It was not until the glowing yellow light was ten feet away from them, and Harry had pulled off his Invisibility Cloak so that he could be seen, that he recognised, with a rush of pure loathing, the uplit hooked nose and long, greasy black hair of Severus Snape.

"Well, well, well," sneered Snape, taking out his wand and tapping the padlock once, so that the chains snaked backwards and the gates creaked open. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance."

"I couldn't change, I didn't have my –" Harry began, but Snape cut across him.

"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora. Potter and Ambrosius are quite – ah – safe in my hands."

"I meant Hagrid to get the message," Merlin said, frowning, almost glaring at Snape.

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, so I took it instead. And incidentally," said Snape, standing back to allow Harry to pass him, while he gazed at Merlin, "I was interested to see your Patronus, Mr Ambrosius."

Once Merlin had passed by him into school grounds, Snape shut the gates in Tonks' face with a loud clang and tapped the chains with his wand again, so that they slithered, clinking, back into place.

"Oh, and Nymphadora," said Snape, the malice in his voice unmistakable. "Do be sure to send _dear _Mr Black my regards."

As Snape swung the lantern about Harry and Merlin saw, fleetingly, a look of shock and anger on Tonks' face. Then she was covered in darkness once more.

"Goodnight," Harry called to her over his shoulder, as he began to walk up to school with Snape by Merlin's side.

"Thanks for… everything," Merlin added, with a smile.

"See you, Harry, Merlin."

Snape did not speak for a minute or so. Harry felt as though his body was generating waves of hatred so powerful that it seemed incredible that Snape could not feel them burning him. He had loathed Snape from their first encounter, but Snape had placed himself for ever and irrevocably beyond the possibility of Harry's forgiveness by his attitude towards Sirius. Snape obviously knew about Merlin, and therefore about Sirius being brought back to life – Harry clung to the notion that it was Snape's fault that Sirius had died, since it Snape had taunted Sirius about being useless to the Order and that had caused Sirius to run out to the Ministry in the first place. Harry clung to this notion, because it enabled him to blame Snape, which felt satisfying.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for lateness, I think," said Snape. "And, let me see, another twenty for your Muggle attire. You know, I don't believe any house has ever been in negative figures this early in the term – we haven't even started pudding. You might have set a new record, Potter."

The fury and hatred bubbling inside Harry seemed to blaze white-hot, but he would rather have been immobilised all the way back to London than tell Snape why he was late.

Merlin shot Harry a look. _Calm down, don't let him get to you._

_How are you doing that? _Harry asked him, anger flashing through his eyes. _Are you reading my mind?_

_Druid telepathy, _Merlin explained. _Just stay calm. Don't give Snape any more reasons to dock points from you._

"I suppose you wanted to make an entrance, did you?" Snape continued. "And with no flying car available you decided that bursting into the Great Hall through the feast with the greatest warlock ever by your side ought to create a dramatic effect."

Still Harry remained silent, thinking over Merlin's advice, though he thought his chest might explode. He knew that Snape had come to fetch him for this, for the few minutes he could needle and torment Harry without any other teachers listening.

They reached the castle steps at last and as the great oaken front doors swung open on to the vast flagged Entrance Hall, a burst of talk and laughter and of tinkling plates and glasses greeted them through the doors standing open into the Entrance Hall. Harry wondered whether he could slip his Invisibility Cloak back on, over himself and Merlin, thereby gaining their seats at the long Gryffindor table without being noticed.

As though he had read Harry's mind, however, Snape said, "No Cloak. You can walk in so that everybody sees you, which is what you wanted, I'm sure." Snape's eyes flashed as he turned slightly to Merlin, addressing him with a hint of curiosity in his voice, "Mr Ambrosius, I believe that the Headmaster wished me to ask you to kindly wait in his office until the feast ends and then he will speak with you."

Merlin nodded once and flashed Harry a sympathetic look before striding off up the staircase towards the moving staircases. Harry turned on the spot and marched straight through the open doors; anything to get away from Snape. The Great Hall, with its four long house tables and its staff table set at the top of the room, was decorated as usual with floating candles that made the plates below glitter and glow. It was all a shimmering blur to Harry, however, who walked so fast that he was passing the Hufflepuff table before people really started to stare, and by the time they were standing up to get a good look at him, he had spotted Ron and Hermione, sped along the benches towards them and forced his way in between them.

"Where've you – blimey, what've you done to your face?" said Ron, goggling at him along with everyone else in the vicinity.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Harry said, grabbing a spoon and squinting into it at his distorted reflection.

"You're covered in blood!" Hermione cried out in horror. "Come here -" She raised her wand, said, "_Tergeo_!" and siphoned off the dried blood.

"Thanks," said Harry, feeling his now clean face. "I guess I forgot to ask Merlin about that... How's my nose looking?"

"Normal," said Hermione anxiously. "Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened, we've been terrified!"

"Yeah, Merlin ran off looking like he was going to pee himself with fear when Neville told us you vanished," Ron added, looking concerned.

"Where is Merlin anyway?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"Doesn't matter," Harry muttered.

"Harry, what -"

"I'll tell you later," said Harry curtly. He was very conscious that Ginny, Neville, Seamus and Dean were listening in; even Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had come floating along the bench to eavesdrop. Harry didn't fancy revealing Merlin's identity to the school simply because he hadn't been careful enough. And he really didn't fancy telling anybody that he'd been beaten by Malfoy.

"But -" started Hermione.

"Not now, Hermione," said Harry, in a darkly significant voice. He hoped very much that they would all assume that he had been involved in something heroic, preferably involving a couple of Death Eaters, a few Dementors and a dragon. Of course, Malfoy would probably spread the story as far and wide as he could, but there was always a chance it wouldn't reach too many Gryffindor ears.

He reached across Ron for a couple of chicken legs and a handful of chips, but before he could take them they vanished, to be replaced with puddings.

"You missed the sorting, anyway," said Hermione, as Ron dove for the chocolate gateau.

"Hat say anything interesting?" Harry asked curiously, taking a piece of treacle tart.

"More of the same really... Advising us all to unite in the face of our enemies, that sort of stuff."

"Nothing about having the most powerful and famous warlock in the entire world kipping in the Pendragon suite?"

Hermione cuffed his head, looking around. "Somebody could hear you, be quiet! And no, nothing about Merlin..."

"Has Dumbledore mentioned Voldemort at all?" Harry asked, taking a large bite of tart as he did so.

"No, not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast, doesn't he?" It can't be long now."

"Hey, Snape said Hagrid was late for the feast, where -"

"You've seen Snape? How come?" Ron questioned him, through frenzied mouthfuls of gateau.

"Oh... Bumped into him," said Harry evasively. "After I got off the train."

"Speaking of the train, what did Professor Slughorn want?" Hermione asked.

"To know what really happened at the Ministry and about how Merlin got caught up in it all."

"Him and everyone else here," sniffed Hermione. "Well, not about Merlin, but about the fight in the Department of Mysteries. People were interrogating us on the train, weren't they, Ron?"

"Yeah," Ron agreed, scowling. "All wanting to know whether or not you're the Chosen One and all."

"The only people I want to know about that are you two, Merlin and the Order," Harry mumbled, shoving another piece of tart into his mouth before it vanished. "It's like starting Hogwarts all over again. I don't want fame and glory."

Ron nodded and choked on his cake just as Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly.

Well this was going to be interesting...


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

Merlin stood by the door of Dumbledore's office, debating whether or not he should wait outside until the feast ended or just let himself in and make himself at home. Finally, he decided on the latter and slid through a small opening in the door, enough to scramble inside, shutting it behind him.

Fawkes the Phoenix set his beady eyes on Aithusa as the white dragon leapt down off Merlin's shoulder to gaze around the office. It was exactly the same as it had been when he'd first entered it the year before, but with less clutter and less people.

Merlin carefully approached a large glass cabinet filled with thousands of tiny glass vials with swirling cloudy liquid floating around inside of them.

He started by saying, "They're -"

"Memories." Dumbledore finished his exclamation as he slid into the room, his eyes twinkling, a small smile upon his face.

"Quite the collection you have here," Aithusa remarked, smirking, jumping up onto the desk.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, smiling. "You perhaps are wondering why I wanted to meet you up here, Merlin."

"I can only guess you want to know about the Horcruxes."

"Have you discovered any of their whereabouts?"

"No, unfortunately," Merlin sighed. "I think we were lucky to find Gaunt's ring. The others will be well hidden. We just have to keep searching."

"Yes, I believe we will have to do a lot more research to find the next of Voldemort's Horcruxes rather than rely on pure instinct and wild guesswork." Dumbledore paused the asked, "What happened to Harry while on his journey to Hogwarts?"

Merlin groaned. "He left before I could remove all the dried blood... I believe a student attacked him while in the train. I fixed his broken nose for him."

"Who was the student?"

"Who do you think?"

Dumbledore merely smiled. "I trust that you'll be keeping an eye on him throughout the year..."

"He's been ordered to kill you."

"Indeed he has, but I do not believe he will."

Merlin stopped and then stood. "I believe it is time to take my leave now. Will I be using my usual chambers?"

"The Pendragon and Emrys suites are all yours, my dear boy," Dumbledore said, rising.

Merlin nodded and then strode towards the door. He thanked the Headmaster once then exited, strolling down the corridor towards the moving staircases. As he turned off a corner he accidentally bumped into the very two people he'd wanted to talk with.

"Harry, Ron!" Merlin exclaimed. "Good, I was just about to start searching for you both - where's Hermione?"

"Helping with the first years, she's a prefect," Ron explained.

Merlin frowned at Ron. "Then why aren't you? You're a prefect, right?" At Ron's sheepish grin, Merlin rolled his eyes. "Never mind. Any interesting news at the feast?"

Ron looked grim. "You haven't heard then? Snape's teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts!"

Merlin coolly replied, "Good."

"How is that good?" Harry asked, with an expression of anger and disgust.

"It means I can whip his ass more easily than if he taught Potions. I'm looking forwards to totally showing him up and casting a jinx on him 'accidentally' to make his trousers fall down." Merlin rolled his eyes, then turned to Harry, to ask, "How's your nose feeling?"

"Great, thanks," replied Harry, "But next time I could go without the blood."

"Sorry, Snape didn't give me time to get rid of it."

"That's okay, Hermione did it for me. So where are you staying this year?"

Ron eagerly asked, "Will you be staying with us in Gryffindor?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. I'm not an official member of the House, so I don't want to risk getting cursed by one of the paintings for sleeping in one of the beds. I'll be staying in the Pendragon suite. It's got connecting doors to the Emrys suite, so you guys can come visit whenever you want. Don't worry, I can come into your Common Room."

"Why don't you meet us tomorrow morning there then?" Harry asked him. "We'll be getting our timetables from McGonagall, so you can come with us while you're at it."

"Great," Merlin said, grinning. "I'll see you both tomorrow morning then at seven."

...

"God, I am so late," Merlin muttered, as he made his way towards the Great Hall at a run, where the trio were eating breakfast with the rest of the Gryffindors. He was half an hour late already, and time was ticking.

As he sat down beside them, hastily grabbing a plate, Ron exclaimed, "About bloody well time!"

"Sorry, I slept in," Merlin hurried to explain, piling sausages, bacon and gags onto his plate at an alarming rate. "I guess I was just exhausted."

"Don't worry about it," Hermione said. "I think everybody else is still in bed. Look, there's only about twenty of us in here eating breakfast..."

While they tucked into their porridge, eggs and bacon, Harry and Ron told Hermione and Merlin about their embarrassing conversation with Hagrid the previous evening. Apparently, none of them were taking Care of Magical Creatures for N.E.W.T. and Hagrid expected them to.

"But he can't really think we'd continue Care of Magical Creatures!" Hermione said, looking distressed. "I mean, when have any of us expressed any... You know... Any enthusiasm?"

"That's it though, innit?" said Ron, swallowing an entire fried egg whole. "We were the ones who made the most effort in classes because we like Hagrid. But he thinks we like the stupid subject."

"It's not a stupid subject," Merlin said, glaring at Ron.

Aithusa added, from where she was delicately eating bacon on Merlin's shoulder, "At N.E.W.T. you actually learn how to take care of dragons."

"Do you think ANYONE is going to take Care of Magical Creatures as a N.E.W.T.?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Neither of them answered; there was no need. They all knew perfectly well that nobody in their year would continue with Hagrid's subject. Merlin would have, if he had not been watching Harry; if Harry wasn't taking the subject, Merlin wouldn't be able to take it. They avoided Hagrid's eye and returned his cheery wave only half-heartedly when he left the table ten minutes later.

After they had eaten (except Merlin, he was still scarfing down eggs), they remained in their places, awaiting McGonagall's descent from the staff table. She was talking to Snape, who now seemed disinterested in their conversation and was staring at Merlin curiously. Since the distribution of timetables would be more complicated than usual this year, because Professor McGonagall needed first to confirm that everybody had achieved the necessary O.W.L. grades to continue with their chosen N.E.W.T.s.

Professor McGonagall finally rose from her seat, clutching her wand and began to make her way down towards them.

"Miss Granger, cleared for everything of course," McGonagall said, with a hint of a smile.

Hermione took her timetable, beaming, as McGonagall started to sort out Neville, who would take a little longer. Merlin finished his toast and examined Hermione's timetable, occasionally making comments. Hermione then rushed off to first-period Ancient Runes without another word, looking quite flustered. Finally, Neville hurried off to his class, looking quite happy, while other Gryffindors were passed their new timetables.

"So, Potter, Potter..." said McGonagall, consulting her notes. "Charms, Defence, Herbology, Transfiguration... all fine, I believe. Now, why haven't you applied to continue with Potions? I thought it was your ambition to become an Auror."

"It was, but I was told I had to get an Outstanding in my O.W.L., Professor."

"And so you did - when Professor Snape was teaching the subject. Professor Slughorn, however, is perfectly happy to accept N.E.W.T. Students with Exceeds Expectations. Do you wish to proceed with Potions?"

"Yes," Harry said, a smile creeping onto his face. "But I didn't buy the books or ingredients or anything."

"I'm sure Professor Slughorn will be able to lend you some. Very well, Potter, here is your timetable. Oh, by the way, twenty hopefuls have already put their names down for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I shall pass the list to you and you can fix up the trials at your leisure."

She then turned to Ron, scanning her notes. "Hmm, Weasley... Defence, fine... Herbology, fine... I might as well just put you up for the same subjects as Potter."

"I haven't got any potions stuff - both Harry and I didn't know," Ron said.

"You'll have to borrow for the mean time, then," McGonagall said, not unkindly. "Your timetable, Mr Weasley." She handed it over to Ron and he was thrilled to see that he had the same lessons as Harry.

McGonagall then glanced back down on the list at the name at the very, very bottom, as though it had recently just been plonked there. "Ambrosius... Mr Ambrosius. Now, what should we do with you?"

Merlin grinned at her. "You know the plan, Professor."

"Yes, yes... Quite a shame though, that you have decided not to go through with History of Magic and Arthurian Legend."

Merlin was now beaming widely. "Not that I'd need to, of course."

McGonagall smiled at him, conjuring a new timetable before passing it over. "And Mr Ambrosius... If you find the Transfiguration work too easy, just tell me. I don't want you to feel awkward or low in my class."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Now... Will you be signing up for Quidditch?" she asked interestedly.

"Yeah, mate, you'd be awesome! You've been flying around for years!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"On a dragon," Merlin protested. "And I really don't think it's a good idea... Considering what happened the last time I rode a broomstick."

"What happened?" Harry asked seriously.

Aithusa shortly answered, from Merlin's shoulder, "The broom exploded."

Silence.

"What do you mean? It actually exploded?" Ron asked, horrified.

Aithusa grimaced. "Yes, with Merlin on it."

"Why?" McGonagall asked, aghast.

"I have reason to believe that Old Magic isn't compatible with broomsticks," Merlin explained. "The magic is too powerful so the brooms can't channel and contain it properly. So the brooms...explode. So if you don't mind, I don't really fancy Quidditch this year, since in theory I literally am Old Magic. I prefer flying dragons to broomsticks."

"That's perfectly fine. Moving off from Quidditch and onto Defence, is the rumour that Mr Potter will be continuing the DA true?" McGonagall asked, looking interested.

Harry looked slightly alarmed. "Where did you hear -"

"I've already had more than forty students from all the houses asking when the first meeting of the year is. Half of them I believe are members from last year. Mr Longbottom, Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood are dealing with organising a list. But there are many new students who wish to learn from you, Potter. What date should I tell them?"

Harry was about to stammer that he hadn't planned on continuing the DA at all, but then Merlin stepped in.

"I'm free tonight and this Saturday," he replied casually. "Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm free tonight," Harry mumbled, stunned. "Saturday too, yeah."

"I shall ask Professor Dumbledore to make an announcement then that the first meeting is this evening. Where shall the meeting be held?"

"Room of Requirement," Ron said. "That's where they always are."

"You would not mind if the Headmaster and myself drop by to check on you all?"

"No, not at all," Merlin replied, smiling. "See you later, Professor."

Ron, Harry and Merlin left the table together as Professor McGonagall hurried off to a meeting with Dumbledore. As they ,are their way up the stairs, all three of them gazed at their timetables, which were identical.

"Look," said Ron delightedly. "We've got a free period now... And a free period after break... And after lunch... Excellent!"

Harry and Ron dragged Merlin to the Common Room, which the warlock hadn't seen yet. The Common Room was empty apart from half a dozen seventh-years, including Katie Bell, the only remaining member from the original Gryffindor Quidditch team that Harry had joined in first year. Merlin looked slightly uncomfortable because some of the students were staring at him, since he was an unfamiliar face. But he soon settled down in the arm chairs by the fireplace while Harry conversed to Katie about Quidditch trials. Kilgharrah the eagle owl and Crookshanks the cat were perched next to each other on the mantelpiece and looked completely at peace - except when Ron's confiscated Fanged Frisbee fly past them, snarling.

An hour later, they reluctantly left the sunlit common room for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom four floors below. Aithusa decided to stay in the Common Room with Kilgharrah and Merlin agreed to meet up with her at lunch. Hermione was already queuing outside, carrying an armful of heavy books and looking quite put out.

"We got so much homework for Runes," she said anxiously, when Harry, Ron and Merlin joined her. "A fifteen inch essay, two translations and I've got to read these by Wednesday!"

"Shame," yawned Ron.

"You wait," Hermione said resentfully. "I bet Snape gives us loads."

"I'll still have less than you though."

Merlin shot him a glare and turned to Hermione, stating, "Don't worry, after the DA meeting tonight, you can come to my chambers and I'll help you work through it all."

Hermione beamed. "Thank you, Merlin."

The classroom door opened as she spoke and Snape stepped into the corridor, his sallow face framed as ever by two curtains of greasy black hair. Silence fell immediately.

"Inside," Snape said harshly.


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

His eyes scanned the queue filing into his classroom and rested for a second on Harry before switching to Merlin, who he decided to stare at. Merlin stared defiantly back.

Harry looked around as they entered the classroom. Snape had imposed his personality upon the room already; it was gloomier than usual as curtains had been drawn over the windows and the room was lit by weak candlelight. New pictures adorned the walls, many of the, showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting grisly injuries or strangely contorted body parts.

Merlin stopped for a moment, looking terrified and pained, as he stared at a portrait of the Lady Morgana torturing Queen Guinevere in the Dark Tower while she smiled cruelly and Gwen screamed in agony. Hermione looked slightly horrified as well and was forced to drag Merlin into the seat beside her, as he was frozen, his eyes wide with fear. Snape looked generally satisfied at Merlin's reaction.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," said Snape, slamming the door shut and moving to face the class from behind his desk. "I wish to speak to you and I want your fullest attention." His black eyes roved over their upturned faces, lingering for a fraction of a second longer on Merlin's and Harry's than anyone else's. "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe."

_You believe... Like you haven't watched them all come and go, Snape, hoping you'd be next,_ Harry thought scathingly.

"Naturally, these teachers will all of had their own different methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you managed to scrape an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if you all manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

Snape set off around the dye of the room, speaking in a lower voice; the class craned their heads to keep him in view. Walking beside Merlin and Hermione's desk, Snape lingered there, stopping for a moment, and it seemed to Merlin that Snape was taunting him.

"The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster -"

_Tell me about it_, Merlin thought, rolling his eyes.

" - which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a new head even fiercer and cleverer than before."

_Been there, done that_, Merlin thought to himself, internally sighing.

"You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice?

"Your defences," said Snape, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the Arts you seek to undo. These pictures," he indicated a few of them as he swept past, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse, feel the Dementors kiss, anger the great witches and wizards of the past or provoke the aggression of the Inferi."

He set off again around the other side of the classroom towards his desk, and again, the class watched him as he walked, his dark robes billowing behind him.

"Now, you are, I believe complete novices in the use of non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?" Hermione was about to thrust her arm into the air, but Snape interrupted her by saying firmly, "Not you, Miss Granger. I do not want an answer copied word for word from _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 6_." Malfoy sniggered, while Snape's eyes swept the classroom, before finally settling on Merlin. "Mr Ambrosius, how about you?"

Everybody turned to gaze at the new student. Merlin glowered at Snape before answering without any kind of flaw. "It gives you a split-second advantage, as your adversary does not know what kind of magic or spell you're about to perform." Merlin stopped then said casually, "But I disagree."

Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Well then, perhaps, Mr Ambrosius, you would enlighten us."

"It wouldn't give you any advantage, if your adversary was a Legimens. In fact, it could be a disadvantage - they could turn your own spells against you. You're better off using simple strike spells to confuse them, or you could use magic they have never encountered before."

Merlin raised his chin, as everybody gazed at him, their mouths open in shock. Snape blinked at him, also appearing to be surprised, but he also looked extremely impressed. Merlin winked at Harry from sideways on. Both Harry and Ron were grinning, and Hermione was trying not to laugh.

"You are, of course, correct, Mr Ambrosius," Snape admitted. The class looked astonished. "But we will cover that another lesson. For now, we will practise non-verbal spells. However, they take a vast amount of concentration and mind power which some," his eyes settled maliciously on Harry, "lack."

Harry knew Snape was thinking of their disastrous Occlumency sessions of the previous year. He refused to drop his gaze, but glowered at Snape until he looked away. Snape seemed to enjoy taunting both Merlin and Harry, but Harry was glad to find that Snape was losing as Snape turned away a second later, breaking his gaze.

"You will divide into pairs," Snape went on. "One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will then attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

Harry and Ron got together and moved to the back of the classroom. Hermione seemed terrified to be paired with Merlin, who had been casting enchantments without speaking since he'd been a baby. Harry heard Merlin assuring her he'd go easy and wouldn't hurt her, but Hermione was still trembling. Snape moved them in another corner of the classroom that was shielded from the prying eyes of the other students.

Most of the DA had been taught by Harry how to cast Shield Charms, but they had never done it without speaking. Most people were just whispering the incantations under their breath.

Merlin of course was a natural and fired easy jinxes at Hermione, looking apologetic - the force of his Old Magic channelled though his centuries old wand knocked her to the ground several times, but finally, after ten minutes of getting thrown around the classroom, Hermione managed to repel Merlin's stunning spell without uttering a single word. She looked delighted as the spell flew back towards Merlin. Merlin dismissed it with a quick wave of his hand, looking extremely happy for Hermione. He hugged and praised her while she blushed. Any respectable teacher would have awarded her house points for such a great feat, but of course, Snape ignored her, and instead glared at Merlin bitterly.

"Get into fours," Snape said stiffly. "You will now practise fighting two against two using non-verbal spells." He didn't seem to even care that Merlin and Hermione were the only people who were able to repel spells non-verbally.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Merlin immediately joined together and traipsed to the back of the classroom where Merlin and Hermione had been working. It became a battle; Harry and Merlin verses Ron and Hermione, so they were even sides. Snape hovered nearby, watching interestedly. Ron and Harry just stood limply while spells rocketed back and forth between Merlin and Hermione. Hermione looked strained and stressed as she repelled spells, breathing heavily, but Merlin was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Ron hastily attempted to jinx Harry as Snape glowered at them both with cold eyes; the spell rocketed around the room before exploding a glass cabinet nearby. Merlin shielded the class, with a covered gold flash of his eyes, as glass shards shattered about the classroom.

"_Reparo_," Harry muttered, and the shards flew back together and repaired the cabinet.

"Pathetic, Weasley," Snape sneered, stepping forwards. "Here, let me show you -" He flicked his wand with relish and a red flash of light streaked towards Harry.

He stared, his arms hanging limply at his sides, his eyes wide I'm terror as the spell flew towards him. He was shocked, unable to raise his wand and stop it. He braced himself.

Merlin leapt in front of him, wand discarded and in Hermione's hand. Merlin's eyes glowed topaz and the red light was deflected and vanished. Thrusting his hand out, Merlin sent a jet of blue lightning towards Snape who, looking shocked that a sixth-year would dare attack him, almost forgot to repel the spell. Snape stood, looking outraged, while nearly the whole class gasped. Harry was stunned and Ron was grinning with glee.

Suddenly, without warning, a green light shot towards Merlin. Calmly keeping his cool, he simply batted it away with his hand, earning another round of gasps, before he sent a burst of white energy soaring towards the professor.

It became a deadly dance, silent and formidable, as both Snape and Merlin circled each other; Merlin was wandless, but his eyes glittered with power, while Snape's hand twitched around his wand. Snape had this grim determination, bitter and cold, while Merlin wore a courageous grin, looking as though this was one of the best duels he had ever fought.

Merlin suddenly lashed and a burst of strong wind forced Snape to take five steps back. He quickly gained his balance and returned the gesture by striking using a wall of fire. With an amused smile, Merlin banished it without a second's thought.

All of the Gryffindors were rooting for Merlin, while the Slytherins were supporting their Head of House. Nobody seemed to care that if was a qualified Professor against a student - the duel seemed fairly matched. Snape was just focusing on defeating Merlin and Merlin just wanted to show up the Professor. Neville was chattering to Dean and Seamus about Merlin, telling the Gryffindors about Merlin's (fake) Druid background.

Suddenly, Snape snapped, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" He looked slightly exhausted at the use of all his non-verbal spells and seemed to be resorting back to verbal incantations.

Merlin deflected it, crying out, "_Astríce_!" and then "_Forebærne_!", not even bothering to cover up using normal magic anymore.

Snape's eyes widened at the double-banded enchantment and attempted to banish them both. He managed to deflect the fire ball hurtling towards him, but it was too late to stop the striking spell. It smashed into his body and there was an enormous, loud crashing sound as he was thrown back into the air, flipped over a few times before he slammed into the back wall, five metres up in the air, and crumpled to the ground.


	18. Chapter 18

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

Merlin looked horrified at what he'd just down and stepped back. The Slytherins looked terrified and completely shocked. The Gryffindors were motionless, stunned into silence.

"Is he -" Pansy Parkinson paused, looking scared. "Is he dead?"

Merlin stood, rooted to the spot, still frightened, so instead of him, Hermione crept forwards and knelt down beside Snape's still form.

"He's alive," she told them. "But I think a few of his ribs are broken."

"Can you fix them?" Dean asked, eyes wide.

"No. I'm not good at healing spells. I might puncture one of his lungs. And that could kill him. Somebody needs to go and get a teacher, explain what happened..."

Malfoy was now glaring at Merlin, malice and hated sure in his gaze. "You're dead, Ambrosius," he hissed. "First my father, then my mother and now my Head of House. You are _dead._"

To Harry's surprise, a Slytherin girl rolled her eyes, strode forwards and slapped Malfoy hard on the face. "Oh, shut _up_, Malfoy!"

Harry was fairly impressed, as were the other Gryffindors.

"He's a complete asshole! Look what he did to Snape!" Malfoy protested.

"It wasn't his fault!" the girl growled. "It was an accident."

Merlin quietly murmured, "No, he's right. I'm such an idiot. Why, Merlin? Why did you do that? I'm a complete IDIOT!" He whacked himself over the head, close to tears, before sprinting out of the classroom.

"I'll go fetch Madame Pomfrey," Neville said, though he appeared to still be in shock.

Two Slytherins carried Snape's unconscious form carefully over to a corner. Hermione conjured some pillows and they laid the Professor down on them to wait for Madame Pomfrey. It was one of those extremely rare moments when you could see Gryffindors and Slytherins working together without tearing at each others' throats. It only lasted for a second though, because soon enough Malfoy and his cronies were sneering and blaming the Gryffindors and cursing Merlin. The Slytherin girl who had defended Merlin rolled her eyes again and offered to help Hermione, much to everybody's shock.

Madame Pomfrey arrived looking flustered, with Professor McGonagall not far behind her. The nurse was quickly able to fix Snape's ribs and gave him a potion to improve his health. Hermione quietly explained what had happened in the lesson.

"How can one simple lesson transform into a duel?" McGonagall spluttered. "Why on earth did Merlin start it in the first place?"

Harry thought deeply. "I think it was because of me," he said slowly. "Professor Snape sent a jinx at me and Merlin thinks it's his duty to protect me, so he jumped in between and deflected it."

"He must have thought Snape was attacking you," Hermione whispered. "So he stepped in to defend you."

"He fired a spell at Snape," Ron explained. "And it evolved from there." He looked around the classroom to ensure nobody was listening and turned back to McGonagall. "I think Merlin was already annoyed at Professor Snape, cos of the portrait..."

"What portrait?" McGonagall asked worriedly.

Hermione pointed towards the painting of Guinevere being tortured by Morgana. "That one."

McGonagall stared at the painting then sighed. "Naturally, Merlin would have been agitated by such a monstrosity. Where is Mr Ambrosius now?"

"He was very upset," Hermione said, "And he ran off. I think he was ashamed of what he had done."

McGonagall nodded, looking concerned. "Very well, I will find Mr Ambrosius and talk with him. You three might want to stay away for a while. I will talk to Professor Snape about removing that disdainful painting after he has recovered."

This, it turned out, was quite soon. Snape awoke ten minutes later and seemed livid. He was to stay in the hospital wing that night but insisted that he finish the lesson. Snape was extremely angry, it was easy to tell; he gave Harry detention on Saturday night (luckily after the DA meeting) and yelled at Malfoy and Parkinson for talking in his lesson. He set them piles of homework that would take hours and then wrote a note to McGonagall saying that he refused to allow Merlin back into his lessons again.

"That was brilliant," Ron said, once they were safely on their way to break a short while later.

"Merlin really shouldn't have done it," Hermione said, frowning at Ron.

"Snape tried to jinx me, in case you didn't notice!" fumed Harry. "I thought Snape got what was coming to him. At least Malfoy knows now not to mess with us… What's Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defence? I'd much rather take lessons from Merlin."

"Me too, Harry," Hermione agreed. "But Dumbledore must have a reason."

Harry glared at the ground, disgusted. "Did you hear Snape talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that 'unfixed', 'indestructible' stuff -"

"Well," Hermione said. "I thought he sounded a bit like you."

"Like ME?"

"Yes, when you were telling us what it's like to face Voldemort. You said it wasn't just memorizing a bunch of spells, you said it was just you and your brains and your guts – wasn't that what Snape was implying? That it really comes down to just being brave and quick-thinking?"

Harry was so disarmed that she had thought his words as well worth memorising as _The Standard Book of Spells _that he did not argue.

"Harry! Hey, Harry!"

Harry looked around; Jack Sloper, one of the Beaters on the previous year's Gryffindor Quidditch team, was hurrying towards him holding a roll of parchment.

"For you," panted Sloper. "Listen, I heard you're the new Captain. When're you holding Quidditch trials?"

"I'm not sure yet," said Harry, thinking privately that Sloper would be very, _very _lucky to get back on the team. "I'll let you know."

"Oh, right. I was hoping it'd be this weekend. I'm thinking of joining the DA – there's a meeting tonight, right? Neville told me all about –"

But Harry wasn't listening; he had just recognised the thin, slanting writing on the parchment. Leaving Sloper mid-sentence, he hurried away with Ron and Hermione, unrolling the parchment as he went.

_Dear Harry,_

_I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. Kindly come to my office along with Merlin at eight p.m. after the DA meeting. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school. I will see you tonight at the DA meeting._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops._

"He enjoys Acid Pops?" said Ron, who had read the message over Harry's shoulder and was looking perplexed.

"It's the password to get past the gargoyle outside his study," said Harry in a low voice. "Ha! Snape's not going to be pleased… I won't be able to do his detention!"

"I wonder if Dumbledore knows about Merlin yet," Ron asked, "and about what happened to Snape."

"He does," Harry said, "I know that he does."

He, Ron and Hermione spent the whole of break speculating on what they should do at the DA meeting and what they should teach them. Ron thought they should teach some spectacular jinxes and hexes that the Death Eaters wouldn't know, while Hermione thought it would be better to teach the Patronus Charm to the younger students and more advanced magic to the older members. Harry decided to discuss it with Merlin when the warlock reappeared. After break, Hermione went off to Arithmancy while Harry and Ron returned to the common room, where they grudgingly started Snape's homework. Aithusa and Kilgharrah had flown off back to the Pendragon suite and there were only a few Gryffindors in the common room other than Harry and Ron, including Neville, Seamus and Dean.

"Hi, Harry," said a nervous voice from across the room.

Harry glanced up and was relieved to find a very embarrassed warlock gazing at him with troubled eyes. "Merlin! I'm so glad you're okay."

"How's…" Merlin swallowed, looking scared. "How's Snape?"

"He's okay," Ron told him. "Just a bit bruised."

"Hermione said his ribs were broken," Merlin whispered, looking horrified.

"Madame Pomfrey fixed them, Snape's alright now," Harry reassured him.

"Though he is seriously grumpy," Ron mumbled, flicking through his homework again, leaning back while twiddling his quill in between his fingers. "He banned you from his lessons, so congrats on that, but look at all this homework he gave us!"

Merlin sighed and beckoned for Ron to hand the homework over. As Merlin started to scribble Ron and Harry's homework answers on parchment, the other Gryffindors shuffled over to nervously ask for help with their work. The homework turned out to be so complex that even Merlin was struggling with it. They still had not finished when Hermione joined them for their after-lunch free period, and she was struggling at it as well. Merlin was forced to conjure up some sandwiches for them all to eat as they had missed lunch. They had only just finished when the bell rang for the afternoon's double Potions and they beat the familiar path down to the dungeon that had, for so long, been Snape's.

Merlin had tried to wriggle out of attending the class, but Hermione had told him that there was no point in trying to avoid Slughorn as he'd have to face him sooner or later. So the warlock reluctantly trundled along behind them, looking like he'd much rather be eating dragon balls than attending this Potions lesson.


	19. Chapter 19

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**AU Please review and I have tried my best. PLEASE CAN YOUR REVIEWS BE POSITIVE!**

When they arrived in the corridor they saw that there were only a dozen people progressing to N.E.W.T. level. Crabbe and Goyle had failed to achieve the required O.W.L. grade but four other Slytherins had made it through, including Malfoy. Four Ravenclaws were there, and one Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry liked despite his rather pompous manner.

"Harry," Ernie said portentously, holding out his hand as Harry approached. "Didn't get a chance to speak in Defence this money. Good lesson, I thought, but Shield Charms are old hat, of course, for us old DA lags… and that duel, what did you make of that, eh? Incredible, I thought!"

"Yeah," Harry said, in a half-hearted voice, while Merlin hid behind Hermione and Ron. "Incredible…"

"Do you think you could introduce me, Harry?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure…" There was no point denying Ernie the opportunity now; he had spotted Merlin and was making his way towards him with a eager grin.

"Hello, I'm Ernie Macmillan, I don't believe we've met," Ernie said, shaking Merlin's hand.

"I'm Merlin Ambrosius, I joined this year," Merlin said coolly, though he was looking slightly nervous, because half the class were staring at him, since nearly the whole class had been in the Defence lesson. "I'm a Druid from Wales."

"Ah, that explains the wandless magic," Ernie said, nodding. "Great duel, I thought. You must be incredibly powerful, to not need a wand. Oh, that reminds me -" He held out his hand and Merlin was shocked to see that Ernie was returning Merlin's wand. "Hermione dropped it, when she went to help Professor Snape."

"T-thank you," Merlin stuttered, taking it back and sheathing it next to the sword that was invisible to everyone except those of the Order.

Before Ernie could say a word more, the dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly preceded him out of the door. As they fled into the room, his great walrus moustache curved above his beaming mouth and he greeted Harry enthusiastically; he was delighted to see Merlin, who was trying to remain hidden behind Hermione and Ron.

The dungeon was, most unusually, already full of vapours and odd smells. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Merlin sniffed interestedly as they passed large, bubbling cauldrons. The four Slytherins took a table together, as did the four Ravenclaws. Ernie, the only Hufflepuff, shared with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Merlin. They chose the table nearest to a gold-coloured cauldron that was emitting one of the most seductive scents Harry had ever inhaled. He found that he was breathing slowly and deeply, inhaling the potion's fumes so that they filled him up like a warm drink. Ron let a lazy smile cross his face; it seemed he was experiencing the same sensation as Harry, as were Hermione and Ernie, who were grinning. Merlin however, didn't seem effected in the least, and was looking rather cautiously at the potion.

"Now hen, now then, now then…" said Slughorn, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering vapours. "Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of _Advanced Potion Making_…"

Merlin watched, his intestines twisting inside of him, as Harry explained to Slughorn about not having any ingredients or the book because he hadn't expected to be able to take the N.E.W.T. because of his O.W.L. grade. Slughorn handed both Harry and Ron copies of the book and some scales.

"Now then," said Slughorn, returning to the front of the class and inflating his already bulging chest, so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off. "I've prepared some potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the sort of things you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of them, even if you haven't made them yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

He indicated the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table. Harry raised himself higher in his seat to peer inside the cauldron. A clear, colourless liquid was bubbling away inside it. Hermione's well-practised hand shot into the air, just before Merlin's. Slughorn's beady eyes were on Merlin, but he pointed at Hermione.

"It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," said Hermione.

_I've had several experiences with Veritaserum_, Merlin sent to Harry. Harry looked around at him, shocked, but his expression softened when he saw Merlin looked slightly sad. _It's horrible; well, it was for me, anyway… at first you feel like you're in a dream, but then it turns into a nightmare, and you can't feel or think anything._

_When? _Harry asked, feeling slightly sick. _Who gave it to you?_

Merlin hesitated, before answering, _it was sixteen forty seven and a Witchfinder tortured me and forced me to drink it…_

"Very good, very good!" said Slughorn happily, through Harry couldn't agree. "Now, this potion here…"

Slughorn continued to question people on the potions around the room, and Hermione answered nearly all of them. Harry listened, though not very enthusiastically, while Merlin just sat, drifting in and out of reality, lost in a memory.

_Bayard was toasting Morgana, Arthur and Uther. They all held royal goblets, gifts of peace from Bayard, filled with wine. Arthur lifted the goblet to his lips and was about to take a deep drink when suddenly Merlin rushed it and grabbed the goblet, wrenching it from the young Prince's hands._

_"Stop!" Merlin cried out. "It's poisoned! Don't drink it!"_

_Uther looked at Merlin like he was a lunatic. "What?"_

_Arthur gazed at Merlin, shocked; "Merlin, what are you doing?"_

_Merlin turned around to face the foreign king, looking outraged. "Bayard laced Arthur's goblet with poison," he accused, his eyes narrowing._

_"This is an outrage!" Bayard roared, as his men drew their swords around him._

_Camelot knights and guards drew their own swords and pointed them at Bayard and his men. Bayard looked furious, while Uther was just cool. Morgana looked oblivious and terrified, while Arthur was gaping at Merlin._

_"Order your men to put down their swords," Uther said, his voice almost a growl, "You are outnumbered."_

_"I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged," Bayard spat._

_ Uther turned to Merlin. "On what grounds do you base this accusation?"_

_Arthur looked terrified for Merlin and skirted around the table. "I'll handle this… Merlin, you idiot! Have you been at the slow gin again?" The Prince rolled his eyes, grabbing the goblet from his manservant._

_"Unless you want to be strung up," Uther snarled, glaring at Merlin, "You will tell me why you think it's poisoned NOW."_

_Merlin hurried to say, "He was seen lacing it!"_

_"By whom?" Uther demanded._

_Merlin hesitated, looking troubled. "I can't say," he murmured._

_Bayard hissed. "I won't listen to this anymore!" he yelled furiously._

_Uther looked between his son, Bayard and Merlin, before ordering his son, "Pass me the goblet." Arthur handed it to him wordlessly. "If you're telling the truth…"_

_"I am," Bayard insisted._

_"Then…" Uther held out the goblet, with a stony face. "You have nothing to fear, do you?"_

_Bayard sheathed his sword without hesitation and stepped forwards to take the goblet, a determined look on his face. Suddenly, Uther recoiled, drawing the goblet away from him, changing his mind._

_"No. If this does prove to be poisoned," Uther sneered, "Then I want the pleasure of killing you myself."_

_Bayard snorted, while Uther turned around and thrust the goblet back towards Merlin's shaking hands._

_"He'll drink it," Uther stated._

_Arthur looked horrified. "But if it's poisoned, he'll die!" he gasped._

_"Then we'll know he was telling the truth," Uther said calmly, glowering at Merlin, the goblet trembling in his outstretched hand._

_"And what if he lives?" Bayard called._

_"Then you have my apologies, and you can do with him as you will," Uther told Bayard grimly, while the foreign king let a disturbing grin creep across his face._

_Gaius stepped forwards, his face etched with fear, as he pleaded, "Uther, please! He's just a boy! He doesn't know what he's saying!"_

_Uther showed no consideration and just replied, "Then you should've schooled him better."_

_Arthur was becoming desperate. "Merlin, apologise," he practically begged his manservant, "This is a mistake. I'll drink it."_

_He reached out to take the goblet from his father, but Merlin jumped in between and snatched the goblet before Arthur could, clutching it to his chest and turning so the Prince could not take it from him._

_"No, no, no, no, no," Merlin said hurriedly, looking pained. "It's… it's alright."_

_Merlin took a deep breath and toasted to Bayard and Arthur. Gwen took a few steps forward in her anxiety. Merlin hesitated, then drank deeply from the goblet, swallowing the wine and emptying the cup. They waited in silence._

_"It's fine," Merlin said, sounding surprised._

_Uther turned to Bayard. "He's all yours."_

_Gwen sighed in relief that Merlin wasn't poisoned while Arthur rolled his eyes at his servant's incompetence. Then, suddenly, pain blossomed in Merlin's head and his blood flooded with a burning sensation. He choked, clutching his throat as it restricted, cutting off his air. Arthur's eyes widened in fear as Merlin fell, unconscious, onto the ground, the goblet rolling from his now slack hand._

_"It's poisoned!" Uther shouted. "Guards, seize him!" He pointed to Bayard furiously._

_Merlin had never felt such pain. Agony ripped through him, scorching him, as he choked and twitched, struggling for air, unable to breath. His magic was recoiling back into him, unable to save him. He was dying…_


	20. Chapter 20

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

**You'll be happy to know that I have decided to spend more time on this and put my other stories on hold while I try and get up the end of The Half Blood Prince.**

"Merlin?" Hermione said anxiously.

Merlin looked up, snapping back into reality, and found there were several tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away as Harry narrowed his eyes at him. Luckily, Ernie had moved off to work on a private table, so it was just the four of them. Nobody else was paying attention to them. Merlin shook his head, instantly realising that Harry had seen the memory, trapped inside Merlin's head.

"You saw it all, didn't you?" Merlin whispered.

"That was… terrible," Harry murmured, eyes wide. "Did that _really _happen?"

"All true. Every word of it," Merlin answered back, running a hand through his hair.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked in a low voice.

"The Morteaus Flower…" Merlin shook his head, deciding against it. "No, it's fine."

"What is it?" Hermione asked at once worriedly.

Merlin sighed. "Just something that happened to me back in Camelot… during my first year serving Arthur I got poisoned and all these potions just made me remember how much it hurt. I almost died… I _did _die, apparently… but it's in the past, it's all gone now."

"Well, we're meant to be brewing the Draught of Living Death, so we can win this vial of Liquid Luck," Hermione told him, looking worried. "But maybe you should just tell Professor Slughorn about the poison thing, and sit this session out? You're looking really pale."

Merlin nodded silently and stood. The other students were already mixing ingredients in their cauldrons. He cautiously approached Professor Slughorn, who was sitting at his desk.

"Professor…" he started.

"Merlin, my boy!" Slughorn boomed, standing up, grinning widely. "Anything the matter? Anything you need?"

"Um, Professor…" Okay, this was becoming awkward. "I have… this condition… post traumatic stress disorder… you know, from back when I was living in Camelot… and all these potions and brewing… it just reminded me of when I got poisoned by a High Priestess… with the poison of the Morteaus Flower… and when I was poisoned all those other times, and almost died… and I was wondering… could I please just sit this lesson out? I just need to clear my head a bit…"

Slughorn's eyes were wide with sympathy. "Of course, my boy, of course you may. The poison of the Morteaus Flower, you say? Isn't it fatal?"

"It is," Merlin admitted. "But Arthur managed to find the antidote… and cure me in time…" It was becoming even harder for him to speak about Arthur. "He was a real hero. Arthur, I mean. He was an incredible King…" He stopped. "Sorry, I just find it hard to speak about it all…"

Professor Slughorn fussed over Merlin and told the warlock to settle down next to him in the chair and just watch the lesson. Merlin watched Harry, Hermione and Ron brewing the potion. The Draught of Living Death was an extremely easy potion for Merlin to make, so as he leant over Hermione's shoulder to take a peek at her potion, he frowned.

"You're doing it wrong," he said, as Hermione attempted to cut the Sopophorous Bean with her silver knife. "Crush it, don't cut it."

"No, it specifically says in the book to cut," Hermione said impatiently.

Merlin frowned again, stepping away. Then, he noticed Harry – who was creating the potion perfectly. Harry was grinning with glee, pouring over his borrowed potions book. Did it have different instructions to the other books? Or… no, it couldn't be…

"Give me the book," Merlin told Harry seriously.

"What?" Harry looked up, shocked, looking slightly scared.

Merlin snatched it out of his hands and flipped the pages. They were covered in scribbles – whoever had last owned this book had altered all of the methods and had even created their own spells. It was like a mad, insane notebook. Merlin flipped to the front where he found an inscription: _This Book Is Property Of The Half-Blood Prince._

Silently, he handed it back to Harry. He knew the Half-Blood Prince. He politely asked if he could be excused by Professor Slughorn. Slughorn looked slightly disappointed, but allowed him to leave; perhaps there was an advantage with the teachers knowing who he was. Merlin picked up his bags and folders from the table.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, looking up from her potion, which she was stirring counter-clockwise.

"To speak with someone. I'll meet you guys later," Merlin told her lightly. He turned to look at her potion. "Add a clockwise stir, it will turn a pale pink…"

"No, the book says counter-clockwise!" Hermione snapped. She was looking disgruntled, with her hair frizzing up in the air.

Harry looked up. "No, really," he said, grinning at Merlin.

Merlin left the potions dungeon feeling gleeful and strode along the corridor with his hand curled around Excalibur's sheath. He stopped once, wondering what he should do. Should he inform the Half-Blood Prince that his book had been found? Finally, he steered off towards the Hospital Wing. He paused outside, butterflies in his stomach, before raising his fist and knocking.

"Yes? Oh, it's you." Madame Pomfrey didn't look exactly thrilled to see him. "Come to see the Professor? Yes, well, he's not in the mood for visitors."

"I need to speak with him," Merlin said calmly, though his insides were twisting. This woman was intimidating – more intimidating than Gaius.

"You need permission from the Headmaster to come in here," Madame Pomfrey protested, refusing to allow Merlin inside.

Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore swept down the stairs and joined Merlin's side. Embarrassed and ashamed, Merlin avoided his eye and looked pointedly at his shoes. However, Dumbledore simply beamed, his eyes sparkling.

"If – oh – well – alright, then…" Madame Pomfrey grumbled, pushing the large oaken doors open and ushering them both inside.

Dumbledore nodded thankfully and guided Merlin through the doors with a hand on the warlock's shoulder. Merlin glanced up at him apologetically, but Dumbledore just smiled at him.

Snape was lying on one of the larger hospital beds, underneath thick covers and covered with a blanket. His black eyes stared coldly into Merlin's as he sneered hatefully, anger pulsing around the room and hatred erupting from his body in waves.

"I came to see how you were," Merlin said calmly.

"If I got my way you'd have been out of this school three hours ago," Snape spat at him furiously, "And you are the last person I want to see. Get OUT."

"Severus, it was merely a misunderstanding, I believe," Dumbledore said humbly, spreading his hands out before them. "After all, I have been informed that it was you who did indeed start the duel."

"ME?" Snape spluttered, looking furious as he growled. "It wasn't ME! He ATTACKED me!"

"I acted in self-defence," Merlin snarled back, his cobalt eyes glittering with malice. "And I did it to protect Harry!"

"I wouldn't have hurt Potter," Snape muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes sweeping to the floor.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should have told him that before you tried to jinx him," Merlin snapped bitterly.

Snape lifted his eyes to meet Merlin's, and were filled with defiance. "You are NEVER to enter my classroom again," he spat at Merlin, turning away.

"Good, because I don't want to anyway," Merlin answered, glaring. "And I know now that Harry doesn't want to either, because he's got his mind set that you're a Death Eater who's pretending to work for Dumbledore but is actually working on Voldemort's orders. He thinks that you're trying to kill him."

"That's insane," Snape muttered darkly.

"Yes, well, you are a double agent," Merlin said, rolling his eyes.

Snape froze then his eyes snapped to Dumbledore. "You told him?"

"No," Dumbledore said, smiling fondly at Merlin.

"I lived in Camelot, I can deduce anything," Merlin explained. "Arthur would try to hide things from me… I always worked it out in the end."

"I am afraid then, I must swear you to secrecy," Dumbledore stated, with sad eyes. "For Harry, nor anyone, must know of our plans."

"Fine," Merlin said shortly. Striding back towards the doors to exit, he paused, thinking. He turned back to Snape. "Just thought you'd like to know, sir, Harry found your old book. You're lucky that I've decided to keep the Half-Blood Prince's identity a secret. You owe me."


	21. Chapter 21

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

"Professor," Merlin greeted McGonagall, as they met in the corridor leading to where the Room of Requirement was hidden.

"Mr Ambrosius," McGonagall said, nodding. "I trust you've gained control?"

Merlin blushed slightly. "Yes. Come on, the meeting starts in half an hour…"

The warlock and the witch strode together in companionable silence until they reached the large stone wall. McGonagall frowned and then gestured to Merlin. Squeezing his eyes shut, he reached forwards with his magic and tapped on the wall.

_I want to attend the DA meeting. My name is Merlin Emrys._

There was a loud whoosh as large oaken door suddenly appeared in the wall. Merlin grinned widely as McGonagall nodded, looking amazed. Shoving the door, it swung open slowly, revealing Harry, Hermione and Ron inside, cleaning up inside, placing pillows around the edges and organising books on shelves.

"Hey guys," Merlin called out, as he strode into the room.

Hermione glanced up from where she was flicking through _Defying the Dark by Matthew Daley _and the large heavy volume of _The Wolf Within by Merida Lionheart. _"Oh, hi, Merlin! We were just talking about the session plan."

"What are we doing then this evening?"

"Just simple stuff, for the younger students, and a reminder for the older," Harry said, strolling over, clutching his wand tightly. "Hermione and Ron were going to take all the students in forth-year or below and I was thinking you and I could take the older students."

"Good idea," Merlin replied, nodding approvingly.

"What spells do you think we should teach them?" Harry asked, piling books up in Hermione's arms so she could carry them to the shelf.

"Well… probably some defensive and offensive spells…" Merlin shrugged. "The stuff you used at the Ministry. _Stupefy, Reducto, Incarcerous, Impedimenta… _you know, that sort of stuff. This session should just be a reminder of what you taught them all last year."

Ron stood up from where he'd been placing pillows around the edge of the chamber. "Could we do Patronuses as well?" he asked hopefully.

"We did them last year," Harry explained. "But sometimes they can change, so you just need to practise them." He turned to Ron. "It's a good idea."

"It depends, how long is this session?" Merlin asked, turning to Harry.

McGonagall stepped forwards. "If the session starts at half five, I can allow the meeting to go on until half eight o'clock this evening."

"That would allow us half an hour during the session to conjure some food and have dinner," Ron said.

"Do you ever NOT think about your stomach?" Merlin laughed.

"Trust me, you get used to it," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Professor McGonagall began to help Hermione organise the small library with all the books on Defence at the back, while Ron set cushions about the room. Harry and Merlin expanded the room slightly and split it in half, so that Hermione could take her younger students without being interrupted by Harry's. Merlin also conjured a large piece of parchment so the members could sign their names and swear to secrecy. Merlin set it down on the table after modifying it; the parchment now had a large bold title stating _Dumbledore's Army _with a different magical creature in each corner; a griffin, a dragon, a phoenix and a Thestral.

At quarter past five, students began to arrive. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and Ginny Weasley arrived first, with Aithusa seated on Ginny's shoulder. Aithusa soared around the room once before settling on Merlin's shoulder. Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillan, Lavender Brown and Katie Bell entered, looking around, and a bunch of second and third-years arrived after them, gazing at Harry in awe. They all signed their names on the list and then filed out, chatting excitedly, as other students began to arrive in groups.

Finally, the flow of students stopped and at half five they were ready to start. There were around fifty students. McGonagall settled in a chair in the corner and began taking notes. Professor Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.

"Right!" Harry said confidently, clapping his hands together. "There will be two groups! Hermione and Ron will be taking all students the age of fourteen or under. Merlin and I will be taking all those fifteen and over. Please separate; if you are under fifteen, follow Hermione; if you were a member last year, or are over fifteen, follow me."

The students separated, gripping their wands. The younger students, who looked very excited but also quite nervous, hovered in the corner of the room. Hermione led them behind a large red and gold curtain splitting the room; Merlin and Harry were left with the fifth-years and above.

Neville, Ginny, Ernie, Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Katie and Luna were all familiar, but there were some other new students they didn't know.

"Hi, who are you guys?" Harry asked, approaching a clump of students.

Harry immediately recognised the Slytherin girl who had slapped Malfoy. The girl had thick auburn hair and a cheeky look to her. "I'm Zana Mackay; I'm in fifth-year. I'm in Slytherin, but I'm friends with Ginny." She motioned to the two girls behind her. "This is Zoey and Lily; Lily's in Gryffindor, and Zoey's in Hufflepuff."

"Nice," Merlin said, walking over. "I'm Merlin Ambrosius, nice to meet you. And you probably know Harry."

"I'm Liam Ward," introduced a tall, grey eyed boy with messy blonde hair. "Ravenclaw."

"I'm Ryan Matthews," said another smaller brunette boy, holding out his hand. "Ravenclaw."

"Hunter Smithson," said a tall boy with ruffled dark brown hair. "I'm Gryffindor; just joined this year."

"Wow, Zana, looks like you're the only Slytherin here," Merlin said, looking surprised.

"Yeah, well, I'm decent, unlike Malfoy," Zana said, grinning.

"I like you," Harry said, laughing.

"Yeah, I can't believe you punched him," Merlin laughed. "I've always wanted to, since the moment I met him."

"It's a twice a week occurrence," Zana chuckled.

"Come on; let's get on with the lesson…" Neville whined, jumping up and down excitedly.

Merlin soon had them paired up and shouting stunning spells, shooting immobilising spells at each other and freezing one another. Harry and Merlin were both impressed by the skills they saw. The first hour passed very quickly, and soon it was time for them to eat. Merlin summoned some sandwiches and they had a picnic on the floor, sitting on the cushions, munching on crisps and drinking hot chocolate.

"I think we're ready to move on now, Harry," Merlin stated, turning to his co-teacher.

Harry nodded, grinning. "Patronuses it is."

"Okay, everybody, stand up and gather around," Merlin called out.

Everybody leapt to their feet, dashing back into the centre and forming a ring around Harry and Merlin eagerly, looking excited.

"We'll be practising Patronuses," Harry told them.

All of them started whispering excitedly, drawing their wands again in sync around the circle.

"We'll be doing it in canon," Merlin informed them, grinning. "In a battle, you want to be able to identify each person's Patronus. I presume that everybody here know's how to perform a Patronus?"

Everyone nodded mutely. Aithusa snorted, shooting Merlin a look, while the warlock turned to Harry expectantly, "So, Harry'll start…"

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Harry yelled. A silver stag erupted from his wand and danced around the room, tossing it's antlers.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Luna shouted. A silver hare bounded about before vanishing.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Zana bellowed. A large silver wolf sprung from her wand, sprinting around the room before pausing and howling.

_"Expecto Patronum!" _Ginny cried out. Galloping gracefully, the silver horse whinnied once before it disappeared.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Katie called out. A hawk soared upwards, shrieking out a falcon cry, before exploding into light.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Ryan snapped. Snarling, a silver tiger prowled, circling its caster before fading away.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Liam said, waving his wand. A silver furred ermine scuttled up Liam's shoulder, blinking as it vanished.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Hunter pointed his hand and a silver leopard prowled angrily.

Ten minutes later, the whole group had perfected their Patronuses and were extremely proud of each other. Harry went around the group congratulating people. Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore appeared, and it looked as if he'd been watching them the entire time. He gazed at Harry fondly before winking proudly, happy with their achievement. McGonagall was also watching, standing beside the Headmaster, looking slightly impressed.

"Hey, Merlin, you haven't shown us yours," Ginny piped up, wheeling around to face the warlock.

Merlin looked uncomfortable. "I really don't think –"

"It's only fair," Zana growled, striding forwards. "After all, if it comes to a battle with You-Know-Who, I'd rather not kill you by mistake."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Alright then, fine!" He whipped his wand out of its sheath and pointed it into the air, though the gesture was meaningless and useless. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

The large silvery dragon exploded from the wand, roaring furiously, its eyes glowing, as it flew around the chamber like a beautiful eagle. Everybody watched it with wide eyes, and started when suddenly a phoenix appeared beside it, calling out its harsh cry, its silver feathers glittering. The phoenix and the dragon circled each other like friends playfully before bursting into puffs of silver light.

Dumbledore walked forwards and set a steady hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Impressive," he said, and he did sound impressed.

"Thanks," Merlin said gratefully, grinning. "Your phoenix was cool too."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said, smiling. He turned to Harry. "I'll take my leave now, Harry. Your students are in capable hands, I believe."

"Okay, I think that's the end of today's session," Merlin said, as Dumbledore vanished once more behind the curtain. "But feel free to stay until half eight to practice duelling and whatever. Just make sure nobody gets hurt."

Merlin dodged the curtain, leaving Harry to watch over the duels that were now occurring. He smiled and strode forwards to join Hermione and Ron, who were watching the younger students disarming each other using _Expelliarmus_.

"How did your session go?" Hermione asked curiously.

"It went great," Aithusa replied for him. "They got onto Patronuses."

"Nice," Ron said, nodding. He nodded towards his students. "This lot can't even perform a proper jinx, it's going to take ages before they're ready for the Patronuses."

"On Saturday you can take the older lot with Harry," Merlin told him. "I don't mind teaching the younger students with Hermione. It will be fun."

"Nah, it's okay," Ron replied. Merlin frowned at the sudden hardness of his voice. Did Ron… did Ron _like _Hermione?

Hermione and Ron once again took control when a first-year accidentally gave a third-year a cat tail. The session ended on a high when Seamus and Neville had to separate Liam and Ryan's arms from each other (A misfired connection spell). McGonagall helped clear up at the end, flicking her wand to pile up cushions and books in the corner.

"When is the next session, Potter?" McGonagall asked, as they exited the Room of Requirement and the professor escorted them to Gryffindor Tower.

"Saturday," Harry replied. "I was thinking that we could schedule each group at different times; the younger students in the morning, from nine to twelve and then the older members from two to five."

"That will allow all four of us to work with each group," Merlin said, nodding. "Then we could do each Monday night as well, from half five to half eight. And if you want, on Thursday evenings I can take a private session for the DA members wanting to be in the Order; you know, Neville and Luna, Ginny and you guys."

"Good idea," Ron praised. "What would you teach us?"

Merlin hesitated. "I was thinking of teaching you about the Old Religion. It helps you understand spell law and condition."

McGonagall paused outside Merlin's door, lighting the tip of her wand. "If you wouldn't mind, could I invite a few other teachers to the Thursday session? The Old Religion would very much help us with our understanding of magic."

"Sure," Merlin said, sounding surprised. "Of course."

Merlin nodded, smiling, before slipping through his door into the Pendragon suite, vanishing from sight, Aithusa resting on his shoulder. McGonagall led the remaining trio to the Gryffindor tower before retiring herself. Harry was exhausted so went up to bed immediately, with Ron following behind him. Hermione was forced to stay up later until almost midnight to finish her work.

Midnight came and went. Merlin sat on the edge of his bed, clenching and unclenching his hands, experimenting with this New Magic, frowning when he found that it could be made to fuse with the Old if need be. Maybe… maybe he could teach Harry how to use Old Magic.

Harry using Old Magic against the Dark Lord, with Merlin by his side, was a beautiful thought. Merlin drifted off to sleep smiling that night.


	22. Chapter 22

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

The rest of that week was uneventful. For some reason, Merlin didn't turn up to any of the lessons. Nobody had seen him around the school; he seemed to vanish each morning and suddenly appear again in the evenings, acting innocent when they asked him about what he'd been up to, turning around with large blue eyes and saying, "What?" innocently or saying, "I was doing… stuff." Hermione, though, had other ideas.

"He's so powerful, maybe he's putting up invisible enchantments around the school," she suggested, as they walked towards the Great Hall for dinner on Thursday night. The DA meetings on Thursday were to start next week. "Or maybe he's secretly sneaking out to fight Death Eaters…"

"God, Hermione, you're starting to sound like the first years who dote on Harry," Ron laughed.

"I want to know what Merlin's doing though," Hermione whined, ignoring Ron's last comment, pouting slightly.

"Maybe he doesn't want us to know for a reason," Harry suggested.

"Quite right, young warlock," a bold voice agreed, wafting towards them.

The three of them glanced around and blinked in surprise when they found the cat-size Aithusa following them. She smiled at them once before bounding up towards them, her wings streaming out behind her. Several students stared but didn't say anything.

"Hey, Aithusa," Harry greeted the dragon, as he had grown quite used to her company. "How's Merlin?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she said mysteriously, before laughing at their disgruntled faces. "I'm just messing with you. He's fine, if not exhausted."

"So what he's been doing is tiring," Hermione picked up, nodding.

Aithusa smirked. "Whoever said that? For all you know, he might not have been sleeping for the last few days."

"Has he been sleeping for the last few days?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Don't ask me," Aithusa said, shrugging.

"That's a no," Ron grimaced.

"Most probably."

"But he needs to sleep," Hermione protested. "He needs rest and food and water, like the rest of us!"

"Hermione, whatever gave you that idea?" Aithusa said, cocking her head at the girl. "Merlin is a creature of the Old Religion. He needs less rest than humans, less fuel to keep him running. After all, his fuel is all around him, never running out."

"When was the last time the bloke ate something?" Ron asked, frowning.

Aithusa pondered on that then replied, "When he had breakfast with you."

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted.

"He's not a bloody robot!" Harry said angrily, furious at Merlin's self-neglect. "That's outrageous!"

"Preposterous," Hermione agreed, fury sparking in her eyes. "We'll have to talk to him."

Aithusa shrugged again. "Do what you like. Now if you excuse me, I've got a command to obey, a Dragonlord to pester and a student to follow." She spread her wings and flew off past the Great Hall quickly, her tail waving about and almost knocking a fifth-year over.

Harry stopped and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What does she mean, a student to follow?"

….

Saturday came quickly. The DA sessions had been taken by Ron, Hermione and Harry, so Merlin did not know how they had went. Merlin was exhausted, his bones aching painfully, as he trudged woefully up the stairs towards the Gryffindor Common Room. He was aware that Harry, Ron and Hermione were investigating the Half Blood Prince and were also attempting to discover what Merlin had been up to all week. But Merlin had no intention of letting them find out.

Merlin had just entered the Common Room when he heard Harry exclaim, "It's five to eight; I'd better go or I'll be late for Dumbledore."

"I was just about to ask," Merlin said, grinning, joining Harry where he was studying with his friends.

"Oooh!" gasped Hermione, looking up at once. "Good luck! We'll wait up, we want to hear what he teaches you!"

Harry started packing up and Merlin hurried to help him.

"Hope it goes okay," said Ron, and both Hermione and Ron watched the pair of warlocks leave through the portrait hole. "Wait, Harry!"

Harry stopped and motioned for Merlin to go on. The warlock narrowed his eyes slightly, but continued out of sight.

"_Find out what he's been up to," _Ron mouthed towards Harry, fully aware that Merlin was eavesdropping.

"_I'll try," _Harry mouthed back, then smiled.

Harry proceeded through deserted corridors with Merlin by his side, though they both had to step hastily behind a statue when Professor Trelawney appeared round a corner, muttering to herself as she shuffled a pack of dirty-looking playing cards, reading them as she walked.

"Two of spades: conflict," she murmured, as she passed the place where Harry and Merlin crouched, hidden. "Seven of spades: an ill omen. Ten of spades: violence. Three of hearts: a strong king. Two of diamonds: a lady, the kind queen of a distant, lost land. Ace: the sword of truth. Knave of spades: a dark young man, possibly troubled, who dislikes the questioner –"

She stopped dead, then muttered something about mistakes, and Harry and Merlin heard her reshuffling vigorously as she set off again, leaving noting but a whiff of cooking sherry behind her. Harry waited until he was quite sure she had gone then stepped out from behind the statue.

"Well that was close," he breathed, turning back towards Merlin.

But Merlin was staring in disbelief towards where Professor Trelawney had vanished, looking confused. "Who was she?"

"That's Professor Trelawney, she teaches Divination," Harry told Merlin, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't waste your time, she's insane, I'm telling –"

"How long has she been doing that?" Merlin asked sharply.

"Doing what? Acting like a loony?"

"No, predicting the future," Merlin said, starting to shake slightly.

Harry frowned, then said, "I wouldn't worry, it's not true, it's all made up. I mean, she says each year that I'm going to die, and I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Merlin was quiet as he turned back towards Harry, his gaze troubled. "Yes," he murmured. "I guess you are."

Harry nodded at Merlin, smiling reassuringly, then hurried off, dragging Merlin with him. He was interested in why Merlin had acted so scared when he had heard the Professor muttering about cards, but maybe there was a hidden meaning that Harry didn't understand. They soon reached the spot in the seventh-floor corridor where a single gargoyle stood against the wall.

"Acid pops," said Harry. The gargoyle leapt aside; the wall behind it slid apart and a moving spiral stone staircase was revealed, on to which Harry and Merlin both stepped, so that they were carried in smooth circles up to the door with the brass knocker that lead to Dumbledore's office.

Harry knocked.

"Come in," called Dumbledore's voice.

"Good evening, sir," said Harry, walking into the Headmaster's office, with Merlin trundling behind him.

"Ah, good evening, Harry. Sit down," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Thank you, Merlin; I'm afraid this is the first, so you won't be needed."

Merlin nodded once, as if he understood what was being said, smiled at Harry, then strode out of the office. Harry was confused. Why would Dumbledore ask Merlin to come, if he wasn't needed. Then Harry realised –

"Merlin was my escort, wasn't he?"

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore answered simply. "He volunteered."

"Oh, I bet he did," Harry muttered under his breath.

"So, I hope you've had an enjoyable first week back at school?"

"Yes, thanks, sir," said Harry.

"You must have been busy, a detention under your belt already!"

"Er…" Harry began awkwardly, but Dumbledore did not look too stern. In fact, he was smiling slightly.

"I have arranged with Professor Snape that you will do your detention on Wednesday evening instead. After all, we wouldn't want you to miss any of your Defence group meetings."

"Right," said Harry, who had more pressing matters on his mind than Snape's detention, and now looked around surreptitiously for some indication of what Dumbledore was planning to do with him that evening.

The circular office looked just as it always did: the delicate silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, puffing smoke and whirring; portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses dozed in their frames; and Dumbledore's magnificent phoenix, Fawkes, stood on his perch behind the door, watching Harry with bright interest. It did not even look as though Dumbledore had cleared a space for duelling practice.

"So, Harry," said Dumbledore, in a businesslike voice. "You have been wondering, I am sure, what I have planned for you during these – for want of a better word – lessons?"

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore simply beamed. "Let's begin."

….

"Oh," Harry sounded surprised.

Merlin looked up from where he'd been leaning on the corridor wall, smiling slightly, despite the fact that his muscles ached in protest. "Have a nice evening?" he asked curiously.

"You're still here," Harry said stupidly.

"Yes. I'd thought that would be obvious," Merlin replied, smirking.

Harry looked slightly frustrated. "What, did you stay so you can escort me back as well?"

Merlin wasn't phased in the slightest. He simply shrugged. "It's my destiny." Those three words were starting to annoy the hell out of Harry.

Harry glowered at him for a few seconds before striding off down the corridor. Merlin watched him go before sighing and following. Harry paused when he realised Merlin was stalking him from behind. Rolling his eyes, Harry turned back to face the warlock.

"I guess that's a yes then," he said.

"Indeed," was all that Merlin said, in an amused voice.

Merlin and Harry began the long walk back to the Gryffindor Common Room in an uncomfortable silence. It was dark outside, quite late, so there were no students wandering the corridors. They saw several Professors, but they took one look at Merlin and then scurried off in the opposite direction, obviously not wanting to get involved.

"You can ask, you know," said Merlin, a matter-of-factly.

"Ask what?"

"What I've been doing," Merlin explained, a hint of a smile on his lips.

Harry scowled. "What's the point when I won't get an answer?"

Merlin nodded then changed the subject. "Did you understand what Dumbledore was trying to tell you?"

"I –" Harry stopped. After a moment of hesitance, he said in a confused voice, "How will teaching me about Voldemort's past help me defeat him?"

"You can tell a lot about a person by looking at somebody's past," Merlin announced sadly.

Harry thought for a moment then blinked. "Yes," said Harry. "I guess you can."

They had reached the portrait that led into the Gryffindor Common Room. Merlin tapped at the Fat Lady and she awoke with a snort. Harry would have expected her to made a rude comment about waking her up in the middle of the night, but to his puzzlement she just allowed them to enter silently.

When they entered, their first impression was that the room was empty. A few candles had been lit, and their flames flickered golden; a few chairs were toppled over, but the curtains were drawn and it was silent.

But then Harry saw them: Hermione and Ron were curled up in their armchairs, snoring softly, lost in pleasant dreams. Harry watched them for a while, envious, but slowly made his way over towards them.

"They're exhausted," Merlin whispered.

Merlin quickly organised their books and folders then, as gently as he could, he slid his arms underneath Hermione and lifted her carefully towards his chest. She stirred quietly and her eyes flickered open for a second, but she caught sight of Merlin, smiled then shut them again, sighing contently.

As the warlock carried the witch up to the girls dorms (for some reason the stairs allowed him up; maybe it was because he was with Hermione), Harry shook Ron.

"Ha''y," Ron murmured. "Ho'd it'o?"

"Shut up, mate," Harry mumbled, heaving Ron onto his feet, supporting the half-asleep boy. "Do me a favour and use your legs."

Once Ron was in bed and asleep again, Harry rushed down the stairs. He wanted to talk to Merlin about Voldemort, about Morgana, about his destiny. But by the time he had reached the last step, he was too late.

With a swish of his scarlet Pendragon cloak, Merlin vanished through the portrait hole.


	23. Chapter 23

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

As Hermione had predicted, the sixth-years' free periods were not the hours of blissful relaxation Ron had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to keep up with the vast amount of homework they were being set. Not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before.

Harry barely understood half of what Professor McGonagall said to them these days; even Hermione had to ask her to repeat instructions once or twice. Merlin was sympathetic and continued to say that he understood how they felt, but Harry couldn't see how; he swept through the homework as if it was for children in primary school, aced the lessons and even had enough time to take walks through the grounds in the middle of the day.

Non-verbal spells were now expected, not only in Defence, but in Charms and Transfiguration too. Harry frequently looked over at his classmates in the common room or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and straining as though they had overdosed on U-No-Poo; but he knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud.

Merlin and Hermione had even started up little extra lessons for those in Gryffindor to help them; Ron managed to set a cushion on fire, but then promptly passed out. McGonagall had banned the lessons ever since.

It was a relief to get outside the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacular seized them unexpectedly from behind.

The result of the massive amounts of homework was that they were forced to stop the DA lessons during the week. So far they had struggled to find time to draw up lesson plans, so when they cancelled meetings, they were met with a lot of disappointed faces. Finally, Harry was forced to call out at breakfast one morning that the DA lessons during the school week were not going to work out, so the lessons on Saturday would be longer and the private lessons for the teachers and the students knowing Merlin's secret would be held on Sundays instead.

One other result of their enormous workload and the frantic hours of practising non-verbal spells was that Harry, Ron, Hermione and Merlin had so far been unable to find time to go and visit Hagrid. He had stopped coming to meals at the staff table, an ominous sign, and on the few occasions when they had passed him in the corridors or out on the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice them or hear their greetings.

"We've got to go and explain," said Hermione, looking up at Hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following Saturday, at breakfast.

"We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!" said Ron. "And we're supposed to be practising that _Aguamenti _charm for Flitwick! Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hate his stupid subject?"

"We don't hate it!" said Hermione.

"It's not stupid!" said Merlin.

"Speak for yourselves, I haven't forgotten those Skrewts," said Ron darkly. "And I'm telling you now; we've had a narrow escape. You didn't hear him gowning on about his gormless brother, Merlin – we'd have been teaching Grawp how to tie his shoelaces if we'd stayed."

"I hate not talking to Hagrid," said Hermione, looking upset.

"We'll go down after Quidditch, before the DA meetings," Harry assured her. He too was missing Hagrid, although like Ron he thought that they were better off without Grawp in their lives. "But Quidditch trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied." He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first huddle of his captaincy. "I dunno why the team's so popular all of a sudden."

Merlin snorted.

"Oh, come on, Harry," said Aithusa, who rolled her eyes at him, landing on Merlin's shoulder, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. "It's not Quidditch that's popular."

"It's you!" Merlin laughed.

"Yeah, you've never been more interesting," Hermione said absentmindedly, stirring a finger through her pumpkin juice. "And, frankly, you've never been more fanciable."

Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper as Merlin burst out laughing, Aithusa laughing with him on his shoulder. Hermione spared Ron one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.

"Everybody knows you've been telling the truth now, don't they? The whole wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they're calling you the 'Chosen One' – well, come on, can't you see why people are fascinated by you?"

Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling looked cold and rainy. Merlin was grinning widely at him, looking as though he could crack up any moment and Aithusa was still chuckling. Ron was just staring at Harry, amused.

"And you've been through all that persecution from the Ministry, when they were trying to make you that you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks where that evil woman made you write lines with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway…."

"You can still see where those brains got hold on me in the Ministry, look," said Ron, shaking back his sleeves.

"And it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer, either," Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.

"I'm tall," said Ron inconsequentially.

"Aw, is somebody jealous?" Merlin teased him, grinning.

"No!" Ron protested, though his cheeks burning bright red told otherwise.

The post owls arrived, swooping down through rain-flecked windows, scattering everyone with droplets of water. Most people were receiving more post than usual; anxious parents were keen to hear from their children and to reassure them, in turn, that all was well at home. Harry had received no mail since the start of term; his only regular correspondent, Sirius, was banned from writing mail to Harry in case it got intercepted, but Harry had hoped that Lupin might write occasionally.

So far he'd been disappointed. He was surprised, therefore, to see the snowy-white Hedwig circling amongst all the brown and grey owls. She landed in front of him carrying a large, square package. An identical package landed in front of Ron, crushing beneath it his minuscule and exhausted owl, Pigwidgeon. Moments later, Kilgharrah, Merlin's massive black eagle-owl, soared down towards them and landed on Merlin's right shoulder, hooting at Aithusa, who eyes the bird with disdain.

"Ha!" said Harry, unwrapping the parcel to reveal a new copy of _Advanced Potion Making_, fresh from Flourish and Blotts.

"Oh good," said Hermione, delighted. "Now you can give that graffiti covered copy back."

"Are you mad?" said Harry. "I'm keeping it!"

Merlin looked anxious and slightly nervous. "Harry, that's not –"

"Look, I've thought it out," Harry insisted.

He pulled the old copy of _Advanced Potion Making _out of his big and tapped the cover with his wand, muttering "_Diffindo!"_ The cover fell off. He did the same thing with brand new book (Hermione looked scandalised). He then swapped the covers, tapped each and said, "_Reparo!"_

There sat the Prince's copy, disguised as a new book, and there sat the fresh copy from Flourish and Blotts, looking thoroughly second hand.

"Impressive," Merlin said, though he didn't look impressed. Instead, he actually looked a bit worried.

"I'll give Slughorn back the new one. He can't complain, it cost nine Galleons," Harry said, shoving both books in his bag.

Hermione pressed her lips together, looking angry and disapproving, but was distracted as Merlin untied that day's _Daily Prophet _from Kilgharrah's talons. Merlin unfolded it and hastily scanned the front page.

"Anyone we know dead?" asked Ron in a determinedly casual voice; he posed the same question every time somebody opened their paper.

"No, but there have been more Dementor attacks," sighed Merlin. He tried not to show any emotion, but they could see the guilt in his eyes. "I feel awful."

"It's not your fault, mate," Ron said, clapping him on the back.

"What else has happened?" Hermione asked, in hope of lightening the mood.

Merlin scowled. "Somebody's been arrested."

"Excellent, who?" said Harry, thinking of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Ron glanced over at the paper then frowned. "Stan Shunpike," he said.

"What?" said Harry, startled. "Stun Shunpike, a Death Eater?" Harry remembered the spotty youth he had first met three years before. "No way!"

Merlin left the table with Aithusa and Kilgharrah on his shoulders, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione behind, arguing about Stan Shunpike and the safety of the Muggles and the students of Hogwarts. Ignoring the stares people were giving him as they muttered about his Pendragon Cloak and Aithusa, he strode up towards the staff table, where the professors were eating breakfast.

"Hello, Professor," Merlin greeted Professor McGonagall as she looked up from where she was also reading the _Prophet_ and eating porridge.

"Ah, hello Mr Ambrosius," McGonagall said, smiling at him as she placed her paper on the table. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if any of the professors wanted to come to my Old Magic lesson tomorrow afternoon," asked Merlin brightly, ignoring the sneer Snape sent in his direction.

"That sounds very interesting, I'll spread the message about," McGonagall said, nodding, still smiling.

Merlin nodded, beaming happily, before retreating down the steps.

_I know what you are doing, Emrys,_ scowled a sudden cold voice.

Merlin didn't stop walking, but growled under his breath. _Shove off, Snape._

_Why should I? _hissed the harsh professor, and Merlin could imagine Snape's eyes flashing in fury.

_You're not welcome in my lessons_, Merlin replied, ever keeping his cool.

_And why is that?_

Merlin paused then answered, _my students would feel uncomfortable, not to mention that you're an attention-seeking antagonistic prat._

_How dare you - ?!_

_Back off, Snape, you're in my territory now. _Merlin smirked when he felt Snape halt and then withdraw from the telepathic conversation.

Merlin saw Harry, Hermione and Ron leave the table a few minutes later to head down to the Quidditch pitch. Hurrying off to join them, he couldn't help give Snape a quick mind jab, feeling the Professor wince and gaining a mindful of satisfaction.

"He doesn't like us much," Aithusa said with a smirk.

"No, I don't think he does," Merlin laughed.

This was going to be one heck of a year…


	24. Chapter 24

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

Harry and Ron went down onto the grassy pitch while Merlin, Hermione and Aithusa went up to sit in the stands. Merlin had to admit that Harry was talented as he swept around the pitch on his Firebolt looking like a professional. Ginny was impressive also, and it was obvious that she was one of the best Chasers for the team, and that Harry had already decided to keep her.

Merlin watched as Harry irritably sent people of the pitch; first years who couldn't even sit on a broom, girls who giggled furiously as Harry addressed them, even some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The first years and the giggling girls came up into the stands and sat by them, propping their broomsticks up on the seats. Merlin swallowed and shuffled closer to Hermione, focusing on her own aura of magic and Aithusa resting on his shoulders, attempting to ignore the pestering brooms.

Ginny raced around the pitch clutching the Quaffle and flew over Merlin and Hermione's heads, missing them by a few inches. Merlin gasped as he felt his Old Magic clash with the broom's own and the aura of all the brooms around them surrounding him and squashing his own.

"You okay? You look a bit pale," Hermione observed.

"It's just the brooms' magic," Merlin muttered in reply, looking at his feet.

"We can leave if it's making you uncomfortable," Hermione told him concernedly.

"No, I want to see Ron try out," Merlin objected, though his eyes watered slightly and he wiped them hurriedly.

Finally, after the trials for the Beaters and the Chasers were finished, it was time for the Keepers trials. Hermione sat up a litter straighter beside Merlin and the warlock and dragon couldn't help but smile knowingly at her. Ron was trying out for Keeper…

"What?" Hermione asked, as she noticed Merlin grinning at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Aithusa said, though her smile turned into a smirk.

Some of the Keepers were okay, saving two or three out of five penalties, but they could see from Harry's expression he wasn't really than impressed. Cormac McLaggen went next, looking seriously cocky and arrogant as he swung one foot in the air and pulled at his leather gloves, grinning at the crowd. Then Merlin realised – he wasn't grinning at the crowd, he was grinning at _Hermione. _Merlin's heart just about stopped.

His eyes narrowed. This was _wrong. _The Old Religion was whispering to him, tapping at his Old Magic inside of him. Hermione _could not be with McLaggen. _She couldn't be. And Merlin knew this. This was a turning point. McLaggen could not under _any circumstance _score all five penalties.

_Aithusa, you getting this? _He questioned the little white dragon.

_McLaggen? Yeah, I'm getting it, _Aithusa answered in disdain. _Let's wait and see; he might not save all of them._

They watched in horror as McLaggen saved one, two, three, _four penalties. _NO. They had to do something!

"Hermione," Merlin whispered. "Hermione!"

"What?" Hermione hissed.

"You have to stop McLaggen!" Aithusa whispered.

"What?" Hermione sounded confused. "Why?"

"Just do it!" Merlin practically begged her, his eyes wide.

"But I don't understand –"

Swallowing heavily, Merlin murmured, "The Old Religion is screaming," as it gripped his heart tightly. "My head… it kills… Just do something, stop him from saving it, _please._"

"It's awfully unfair, Merlin," Hermione said, looking at him warily.

"Hermione," Aithusa started in her warning voice.

To their surprise, Hermione didn't protest again. Her wand slipped down her sleeve and she gripped it tightly, hiding it in her clothes. Ginny was rounding off, soaring towards McLaggen, who was perched excitedly on his broom.

The Quaffle flew through the air faster than lightning toward McLaggen…

"_Confundus!" _Hermione mumbled.

McLaggen was shoved out of the way and missed the penalty. Merlin jumped up and hugged Hermione so tightly he got some strange looks from some of the other Quidditch trial onlookers. Aithusa laughed, sitting on one of the seats with her tail curled around her.

"Merlin, stop it, people are staring!" Hermione laughed into his shoulder. "Hey, is your head okay now?"

"Much better, thank you," Merlin laughed, resting his chin on her shoulder in relief, breathing heavily.

"Merlin?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's stop hugging now."

"Yeah."

Hermione released him and they stood beside each other awkwardly, shuffling their feet and looking away from each other.

Cormac was now on the ground and was stomping around angrily, looking furious. Merlin and Hermione were amused to see that Harry looked very hopeful. Ron mounted his broom and kicked off, swooping off the ground to take his place over the pitch, gripping his handle tightly from nerves.

"Good luck, Ron!" a shrill scream came from a few metres to their right.

Merlin frowned and both he and Hermione turned to see Lavender Brown bouncing up and down in her seat looking absolutely thrilled. Merlin turned back to see Hermione's expression and she looked a bit miffed to say the least.

_Ooh, Hermione's got rivalry, _Aithusa teased. _She doesn't look happy, does she?_

_About Lavender? No, not really, _Merlin replied.

To his delight, Ron saved one, two, three, four, _five _penalties! Merlin grinned and held Hermione's hand as she dragged him down the stairs of the stands, bouncing with energy. Aithusa laughed, clutching onto Merlin's cape. Merlin turned back and spotted Lavender looking disgruntled, trundling back to the castle with her friends.

As they approached a delighted Harry and an excited Ron, Merlin's heart froze and magic recoiled within him as McLaggen stormed towards Harry looking absolutely furious and began yelling at him, eyes blazing.

On instinct, Merlin thrust his hand out and McLaggen went flying. He soared backwards before landing on the ground. Harry looked quite surprised but not bothered in the least. McLaggen scrambled to his feet and stomped off.

"And don't come back," Ron growled.

"Thanks," Harry said to Merlin. "I thought he was going to punch me."

"He probably would have," said Aithusa distastefully.

"He's a pompous git," said Merlin nonchalantly. "He couldn't take the fact that he lost. Anyhow… well done, Ron!"

"Yeah, you were amazing!" Hermione praised.

"Thanks," Ron said appreciatively.

"You were much better than McLaggen," Harry agreed, nodding. "Wouldn't have wanted him on the team…"

After fixing the time for their next practice, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Aithusa and Merlin headed off towards Hagrid's. A watery sun was trying to break through the clouds and it was drizzling slightly. They had the DA meeting soon, but they wanted to at least talk to Hagrid for a few minutes to explain.

"I thought I was going to miss that forth penalty," Ron said seriously, looking at them all individually, with a happy smile. "Tricky shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of a spin on it -"

Merlin snorted slightly, sniggering as he turned to face his dragon, who was also giggling.

"Yes, yes, you were magnificent," Aithusa said, looking quite amused.

"Yeah, well…" Ron blushed slightly and turned away sheepishly. He quickly changed the subject away from himself. "You know that last one McLaggen missed, I really thought he was going to save that one. Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction? Looked as if he'd been Confunded…"

Merlin and Hermione glanced at each other before they both blushed red furiously. Ron noticed nothing; he was too busy describing each of his penalties in loving detail while Harry sniggered silently behind him.

The great grey Hippogriff, Buckbeak, was tethered in front of Hagrid's cabin. He clicked his razor-sharp beak at their approach and turned his huge head towards them.

"What's Buckbeak doing here?" Harry asked confusedly. "I thought he was staying at Grimmauld Placed with Sirius?"

"It was too small and Buckbeak didn't get to go outside often," Merlin explained. "Sirius thought it would be best if Buckbeak stayed here for a while. Just to be safe though, we're calling him Witherwings."

"I'm sure the Ministry won't recognise him though as the Hippogriff they once sentenced to death," Aithusa added.

"Oh dear," Hermione said nervously, as Buckbeak set his beady eyes onto her. "He's still a bit scary, isn't he?"

"Come off it, you're ridden him, haven't you?" Ron said, turning to her.

Merlin stepped forwards with Aithusa perched on his shoulder and approached the Hippogriff confidently, without breaking eye contact or blinking. He stood there, his back straight, his magical aura coming off of him in waves. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a low bow, to their surprise. Merlin moved forwards slowly and began stroking Buckbeak's long feathery neck.

"Why didn't you have to bow to him?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He's Emrys," Aithusa replied simply, as if that explained it all.

Harry bowed low to the Hippogriff himself and Buckbeak returned the gesture. Aithusa smiled and nodded, motioning that it was okay to join them. Ron hesitantly shuffled forwards, as did Hermione, but as they did, Buckbeak snapped his beak and tossed his head angrily.

_"Rhoir gorau iddi nawr!"_ Merlin growled. _"Ffrindiau!"_

Buckbeak came to standstill and snorted once, burying his head into Merlin's shoulder and shoving him forwards slightly. Aithusa gave a cry of protest as she fell to the ground, wings splayed out behind her. Merlin rolled his eyes and shoved the Hippogriff back playfully. Aithusa leapt up and clung to Merlin's head, buried in the nest of his scruffy black hair, occasionally whacking Buckbeak with her tail. Harry watched in shock and curiosity.

"What?" Merlin said, as he pushed Buckbeak's beak away from his shoulder where the Hippogriff was yanking at his shirt, affectively tickling Merlin with his feathers and trying to knock Aithusa off of his head. "What?"

"You're having a tickle fight… with a Hippogriff," Ron said slowly.

"Oh yes," Aithusa said seriously.

"We Dragonlords and Hippogriffs are great enemies," Merlin said, without a hint of sarcasm. "For over five hundred years we have battled for dominance by… tickling."

"You're insane," Ron decided.

"I think we figured that out a long time ago, Ron," Harry laughed.

"It's safe for you two to come, I've told him you're friends," Merlin told Hermione and Ron, patting Buckbeak's flank.

"You can talk to Hippogriffs?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"No," Aithusa said, looking amused but also quite offended. "He's a Dragonlord."

"But the Old Religion connects us, allows us to communicate," Merlin added. "They understand the Dragontongue, you see."

"What did you say to him?"

"Direct translation?" Aithusa asked. She smiled. "He said, 'Stop now. Friends.'"

Hermione and Ron stepped into bows and Buckbeak observed them for a moment; the Hippogriff turned to Aithusa and the dragon raised an eyebrow. Shaking his head slightly, Buckbeak lowered himself into a bow.

"How are you?" Harry asked Buckbeak in a low voice, moving forwards to stroke the feathery head. "Missing Grimmauld Place? But you're okay here with Hagrid, aren't you? Bet you like it here in the open, with the forest."

"OI!" said a loud voice.

Hagrid had come striding round the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forwards.

"Git away from him! He'll 'ave yer fingers – oh. It's yeh lot."

Fang was jumping up at Hermione and Ron, attempting to lick their ears. Merlin and Harry stood side by side; Merlin, Aithusa and Buckbeak were still having what seemed like a silent tickle battle as Merlin elbowed the Hippogriff and Buckbeak snuffled the dragon. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into hi cabin, slamming the door behind him.


	25. Chapter 25

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

"Oh dear!" Hermione said, looking stricken.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said grimly. He walked over to the door and knocked loudly. "Hagrid, open up, we want to talk to you!"

There was no sound from within.

Merlin stepped in. "If you don't open the door, I'll blast it open, Hagrid!"

"Merlin!" Hermione said, sounding shocked. "You can't possibly –"

"Yes, he can," said Harry. "Stand back –"

But before he could say anything else, the door flew open again as Harry and Merlin had known it would, and there stood Hagrid, glowering down at them and looking, despite the flowery pinny, positively alarming.

"I'm a teacher!" he roared at the pair of them. "A teacher, Ambrosius! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door, Potter! I'll 'have yer necks, yer little –"

"I'm sorry, _sir_," Merlin said sarcastically, emphasizing the last word as Aithusa growled on his shoulder.

"Yeah, we won't bother you again, _sir_," Harry added sarcastically.

Hagrid looked stunned. "Since when have yer ever called me 'sir'?"

"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"

"Oh, very clever," growled Hagrid. "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come in then, yer ungrateful little…"

Mumbling darkly, he stood back to let them pass. Merlin stepped past first, looking confident and not in the least bit worried, with Aithusa. Hermione scurried in after Harry, looking rather frightened.

"Well?" Hagrid said grumpily, as the four of them plus the dragon sat down around his enormous wooden table, Fang laying his head immediately upon Harry's knee and drooling all over his robes while glaring at Aithusa. "What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"

"No," Merlin answered calmly at once.

"We wanted to see you," Harry insisted.

"We've missed you!" said Hermione tremulously.

"Missed me, have yer?" Hagrid snorted. "Yeah. Righ'."

Hagrid stormed about, brewing up tea in his enormous copper kettle, muttering all the whole. Finally, he slammed down four bucket-sized mugs of mahogany-brown tear in front of them and a plate of his rock cakes. Merlin suddenly felt so hungry that he could eat the whole plate, and despite the fact that he'd been warned about Hagrid's cooking, he took one of them at once.

"Hagrid," Hermione said timidly, when he joined them at the table and began peeling potatoes with a brutality that suggested that each tuber had done him a great personal wrong. "We really wanted to carry on with Care of Magical Creatures, you know."

Harry gave another great snort.

"We did!" Hermione insisted. "But none of us could fit it into our timetables!"

"Yeah. Righ'."

There was a funny squelching sound and they all looked around; Hermione let out a tiny shriek which caused Aithusa to startle and fall off the table and Ron leapt up out of his seat and hurried around the table away from the large barrel standing in the corner they had only just noticed. It was full of what looked like foot-long maggots; slimy, white and writhing.

"What are they, Hagrid?" Harry asked, trying to sound interested rather than revolted. He noticed that Merlin had gone slightly pale and was carefully placing his rock cake back onto the plate.

"Jus' giant grubs," Hagrid said.

"And they grow into…?" asked Ron, looking apprehensive while Aithusa hid behind one of his legs.

"They won' grow inter nuthin'," Hagrid grunted. "I got 'em ter feed ter Aragog."

And without warning he burst into tears.

Merlin leapt backwards slightly in alarm to avoid being showered in salty tears and he and Aithusa glanced at each other in confusion. Whoever the hell Aragog was, he seemed to matter a lot of Hagrid. The warlock and dragon watched at Hermione tried to comfort Hagrid as the gamekeeper sniffed and explained that Aragog had gotten ill over the summer, and how he thought he was dying, and how they'd known each other for so long.

_Ron, _Merlin prodded.

Ron perked up. _Merlin? What the hell are you doing in my head?_

_Who's Aragog? _Merlin asked.

_Oh, this completely massive spider that lives in the Forbidden Forest and tried to kill both Harry and I in our second year, _Ron explained casually.

Aithusa piped up, _Oh, is he an Acromantula?_

_Yep, _Ron replied grimly. _Hagrid raised him from an egg and people thought he was the monster from the Chamber of Secrets. Hagrid seems mindset that Aragog is his nice little pet spider and is really lovely, but ask Harry. He's murderous and man-eating…_

Aithusa grimaced. _Sounds nice._

Ron snorted. _I've had nightmares ever since…_

"… I don't reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo'," Hagrid was saying, blowing his nose hard on his apron. "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione… it means a lot ter me…"

After that the atmosphere lightened considerably, for although neither Harry, Merlin, Aithusa, nor Ron had shown any inclination to go and feed grubs to a murderous, gargantuan spider, Hagrid seemed to take it for granted that they would have liked to have done and became his usual self once more.

"Ar, I always knew yeh'd find it hard ter squeeze me inter yeh timetables," he said gruffly, pouring them all more tea. "Even if yer applied fer Time-Turners –"

"We couldn't have done," said Hermione. "We smashed the entire stock at the Ministry of Magic last summer."

"An' Merlin, is ther' any of dat Old Magic stuff that allows Time Travel?" Hagrid asked hopefully, turning to him.

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to look at Merlin also. They seemed curious.

"Sometimes," Merlin answered cautiously. "Forwards, backwards – it's complicated though, and can be very dangerous if tampered though incorrectly."

"You're kidding," Ron said. "You can't travel in time."

"I'll prove it," Merlin said, smirking. "Wait here, you'll see."

He motioned for them to all stay down and stood up himself, before making for the door. He slammed it behind him, leaving Hagrid, Hermione, Ron and Harry all frowning at each other, while Aithusa just sat there contently.

Seconds later, Merlin burst in again, but this time he was holding a flowery vase in his right hand.

Hagrid gasped and jumped upwards. "But 'dat was – ain't that – that's – that was 'dis mornin'!"

_…._

_Hagrid stomped around his cabin angrily, wondering why on earth Harry, Hermione and Ron hadn't applied to study Care of Magical Creatures, feeling slightly neglected. He was so angry that when he angrily swung his arm about, he knocked a flowery vase flying into the air._

_Suddenly, the door burst open and Merlin appeared, diving to catch the vase and lifting it to his chest, observing the flowery patterns._

_"Hmm. Nice vase," Merlin noted._

_"What are yeh doin' 'ere?" Hagrid said roughly. "Thought yeh lot didn' wan' see me no more."_

_"Nice to see you too, Hagrid," Merlin said brightly. "And if I were you, I wouldn't mention this to myself when I come here later on after Quidditch, okay?"_

_Hagrid watched, baffled, as the warlock tucked the vase into his cape then strode out of the door again, closing it behind him._

…

"Yeh caught the vase when I knocked it off the shelf!" Hagrid said, pointing at him. "And yeh took it with yeh, somewhere, and said 'dat I couldn't say –" His massive hands were shaking.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed in awe. "You really _can _travel in time!"

"Told you," Merlin said smugly, as he placed the flowery vase back in its original place on the shelf.

"But, if you can travel in time, why don't you just go back and stop us all from going to the Ministry after Sirius?" Harry questioned eagerly, eyes wide.

Merlin's smile faltered as he looked at them all seriously, his blue eyes icy cold. "Fixed point; couldn't alter it, couldn't stop it. If I did, a paradox would be formed; the whole of time and space would collapse, folding in on itself. Imagine that; everything that ever was, ever is, and ever meant to be, imploding, destroying itself…"

"But what about that, what you just did?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden," he told them, with not a hint of expression in his voice. Then, he cracked a smile, "Except for cheap tricks."

"So yer couldn' -?" Hagrid began hopefully.

"No," Merlin told them. He then added, after a second with a small smile, "Sorry. I've got to go." Merlin stood up again. "I'll see you three later, okay?"

Leaving Hermione, Ron and Harry with Hagrid, Merlin started up the path in the grass towards the castle. He had arranged to meet with Dumbledore by the water, so he walked with a purpose along the corridors, with a determined look on his face. It must have worked, as people moved out of the way as he strode by, looking at him warily. He had a new intention now.

When he reached the corridor, he closed his eyes and thought_; I need a place where I can think._

When he opened his eyes again, Merlin was satisfied to see that a large wooden oak door had appeared in front of him. Smiling, Merlin reached for the doorknob and locked himself into the room.

The room looked like a complete replica of the Camelotian Throne Room. Breathing in deeply, Merlin half expected Arthur and Gwen to appear; would his King start playfully insulting him? But alas, he knew that would never happen; that it was untrue. He would not see Arthur or Gwen again until his voyage to Avalon.

In the centre of the throne room was a stone basin, filled with clear water. Merlin rushed towards it. "Show me Dumbledore," he ordered out loud, in a strong voice.

The water rippled and a second later, the Headmaster of Hogwarts appeared in the water, his eyes twinkling but a faint frown on his lips.

Merlin sighed. "You didn't find a Horcrux," Merlin guessed.

"I was wrong," Dumbledore said, in a humbled tone.

"Where are you?" Merlin demanded.

"I am back at Tom's old orphanage," Dumbledore told him. "Back at the very beginning."

"We're not going to find any more Horcruxes until Slughorn gives us that real memory," Merlin sighed, pacing back and forth, in deep thought. "And we can't get the memory without Harry." Merlin stopped. "When are you getting back?"

"A few days," Dumbledore replied.

"There's no point checking around the orphanage, I did that last week."

"Ah, yes, last week," Dumbledore stated, his eyes sparkling as he smiled. "I believe curious Harry has been questioning you on that fact…"

"They want to know what I was doing."

"I believe that Mr Weasley even attempted to have you followed once," chuckled Dumbledore from the water.

"This is hardly relevant."

"Maybe not, but it is highly amusing."

"Maybe to an old man like you," Merlin teased him.

"Alas, you are older than me, Merlin."

"Only by a few hundred years," Merlin said, grinning. "Now, I'd better be going, Harry'll be wondering where I am."

"Goodbye, Emrys."

"Goodbye, Headmaster."


	26. Chapter 26

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

"Hey!" Hermione said, rising to her feet as Merlin approached her from the doors of the Room of Requirement. "Where've you been?"

Harry and Ron looked up in canon, dropping the books they were holding on the ground. Merlin rolled his eyes at their reaction and flicked his hand, the books they had dropped rising into the air and floating so they could catch them again.

"Don't ask, Hermione, there's no point," Harry said flatly, referring to Hermione's former question.

Merlin shot him a look then proceeded to wave his hands about the room; golden tendrils of magic danced in the air, closing the curtains and lighting candles. Nobody questioned the wandless magic; they were used to it.

"We're taking the older group," Harry told Merlin. "We did the younger group earlier, you missed it."

"Oh," Merlin said. "Sorry."

"No problem," Hermione said brightly. "Look, Harry had a great idea for today's lesson – Professor McGonagall found a Boggart in the teacher's lounge and we offered to get rid of it… well, after…"

"Facing your fear, the hardest form of defence and attack," Merlin stated, nodding approvingly. "Good job, we could all use the practise."

Slowly, people began to file into the room. Some looked curiously at the large trunk set in the middle of the room, while some made loud noises of realization. Zana, Zoey and Lily were talking with Neville, Luna and Ginny, while the others students just rambled on about homework to each other and the N.E.W.T work they were receiving.

"Right, everybody, listen up!" Hermione said, clapping her hands. "I imagine that most of you already know what we're doing today. Neville?"

"Boggarts," Neville guessed, eyeing the trunk with caution.

"Correct, Neville," Hermione said. "Boggarts show you your greatest fear; we can use Boggarts to boost confidence, help you face them, become bold in the face of danger."

"Everybody get in line and we'll all take turns," Harry told them.

The DA members scurried back and forth until a line was formed leading up to the trunk. Merlin looked strangely hesitant but finally joined the back of the line. Neville, Dean, Seamus, Ginny and Luna faced the Boggart with confidence, shouting out "_Ridikulus!" _and turning the Boggart into amusing objects such as jack-in-a-boxes and teachers in ridiculous dress.

However, the newcomers, such as Liam, Ryan, Zoey, Zana and Lily, were slightly nervous, though they did manage to face the Boggart. Zana was by far the bravest and only shuddered once before yelling the counter curse.

Harry quickly took over after Ron faced his Acromantula; when the Dementor appeared, he wasn't even afraid. He sent it away with a flick of his wand and a shout of the incantation before Ron and Hermione trapped it back in the trunk.

"Hey, wait, Merlin didn't have a go," Zana protested.

"Oh no, I'm fine thanks, Zana," Merlin murmured, eyeing the trunk with disdain and stepping away to stand beside Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"No, Zana's right," Ginny said, frowning, crossing her arms. "Merlin _should _have a go. After all, it's only fair, we all did it, however unwilling."

Merlin looked scared for a few seconds, shocking the trio, but then he stepped forwards with a grimace and motioned for them to unlock the trunk. The DA looked smug as they shuffled backwards to give Merlin some space. Harry gave Merlin a pointed look and Merlin rolled his eyes, pulling his wand from the pocket of his cloak. Taking a shaky breath, he brandished his wand and aimed it at the trunk.

"You ready?" Hermione asked worriedly, clutching the top of the trunk.

"Do it," Merlin growled.

The top of the trunk was flung open. Dark smoke tumbled out of the depths and a figure sprung from the fog. Merlin gasped in shock and horror and stumbled backwards.

Blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, shining chain mail, with a large roaring golden dragon on a red bed of cotton. In his hand he gripped a sword; Excalibur, the very sword that Merlin's left hand was resting on. His blue eyes however were fierce with fury and hatred.

"You betrayed me, Merlin," Arthur Pendragon spat. "You are a traitor. A liar."

"No," Merlin whispered, his eyes sparkling with tears of fright. "No, you're not real."

"You killed me, Merlin," Arthur shouted furiously. "You killed me, when you could have saved me! You killed me – you killed her!"

"I had no choice," Merlin whimpered. "She was going to kill you."

"You destroyed my life! You destroyed my kingdom!" Arthur yelled. "I hate you!"

"_Ridikulus," _Merlin gasped, desperately flicking his wand.

Arthur Pendragon vanished and was replaced by a noble lady, in a light purple royal gown, and a golden crown resting on the top of her head. Merlin stepped back in shock.

"You killed him, Merlin," Gwen whispered, hatred in her eyes, and her tone was full of what sounded like disappointment. "You killed my husband. You could have saved him, Merlin. You could have tried. But you didn't. You failed him. You failed me. You failed your destiny."

His wand hand trembling, the queen vanished and five knights, clutching swords at their sides and snarling at Merlin in disgust appeared.

"You disgust me, Merlin," Leon spat.

"You are filth, nothing," Percival sneered.

"You are a traitor," Elyan snarled.

"You were never my friend," Lancelot growled.

"We hate you! WE HATE YOU!" Gwaine roared.

"You're not real," Merlin gasped, "You're not real, not real, not real."

"You abandoned us!" Leon shouted.

"You're dead, you're not real!" Merlin yelled.

"We're going to kill you," Elyan threatened.

"You are going to burn," Lancelot hissed.

The sobbing Merlin cried out in pain and pointed his wand at them, a burst of white light shooting towards them. They transformed quickly into the figure of a black panther with wings, before the shape twisted into that of a beautiful young girl with dark hair.

"Merlin," Freya whispered. "You let me die."

"No," Merlin choked. "No, Freya, not you too."

"I loved you," Freya murmured, her eyes full of innocence and truth. "We were in love. But you didn't care. You left me there. He killed me, Merlin. You could have stopped him, but he killed me!"

"NO!" Merlin roared.

His eyes flashed gold and cold air filled the room as a jet of white light soared towards the figure. The black smoke filled the room once again and as Merlin fell to the floor on his knees, Hermione jumped in front, alarmed, and quickly banished the Boggart.

"Merlin! Merlin, speak to me," Hermione begged him, kneeling down beside the shaking warlock.

Merlin swallowed heavily, his eyes as round as plates as he looked up at Hermione, filled with fear. "Real?" he whispered.

"No, not real," Hermione reassured him, hugging Merlin deeply and rocking him in her arms.

"I'm – I'm sorry – Merlin, I'm –" Ginny was stumbling over her words, looking slightly scared. "I didn't mean –"

"It's fine, Ginny," Merlin whispered, smiling weakly. "I don't blame you."

"Okay, that's the end of the session," Harry called out, shooing the gossiping group away.

Once the group had exited the Room of Requirement, Ron and Hermione helped Merlin shakily to his feet and conjured a chair for him to sit down on. Harry insured the rest of the DA had gone the turned back towards them, concerned.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Merlin said. "Just a bit shaken."

"I'm guessing that was King Arthur," Hermione said, sitting down on a chair beside Merlin.

"Yes," Merlin sighed. "That was Arthur. And Gwen, and Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and Percival; the Knights of the Round Table. And Freya…"

"And they are your greatest fear?" Ron asked confusedly, handing Merlin a cup of water.

Merlin didn't answer and instead chugged down the water from his glass before smacking his lips together and wiping his face with the back of his hands. Finally he admitted, "I was afraid that they would think of me as a traitor to Camelot, as a threat to the throne just because I had magic."

"But I thought Arthur accepted you," Harry said, frowning.

Merlin paused then confessed, "Not at first."

Hermione gasped. "But I thought –"

"It was after Camlann," Merlin explained. "After the battle. Arthur had been mortally wounded by Mordred, with a blade forged in dragon fire. He was going to die. I saved him, took him to safety. When he awoke in the forest… I thought it was time. I thought he would accept me. But I was wrong. He hated me. He despised me. He refused to even allow me near him."

"But you took him to Avalon…" Ron said, puzzled.

"Gaius, my guardian and the Court Physician, managed to convince Arthur to let me take him." Merlin took a deep breath.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked gently.

Merlin stood up and made for the door. "No," he said firmly, reaching for the handle.

As Merlin exited the room, Ron sighed, turning to Harry. "God, I never thought Merlin could be such a downer."

**yes, yes, I know, the DA should have realised something was suspicious but I want to save the REAL REVEAL for something really really exciting. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

"_Leoht_," Professor McGonagall tried again. A small pin-prick light appeared in the palm of her hand for a millisecond then vanished.

"That was good!" Merlin insisted, smiling at her, Aithusa smiling also.

"Mr Ambrosius, it was barely anything," McGonagall said, shooting him a look.

"It was still good," Merlin pressed.

"If you say so, Mr Ambrosius. You're the expert," Professor McGonagall sighed. "When will I be able to do this incantation without my wand?"

"Well…uh…" Merlin blushed.

"Let's just focus on the spell at hand," Aithusa added hurriedly for him.

Merlin nodded at her then turned around and circled the rest of his class. The other professors were struggling, apparently. Merlin found Old Magic effortless, but New Magic users and wand users apparently found it very, very difficult. No students, not even Harry, Hermione and Ron, were at this session – Merlin promised them a lesson next week, but he wanted to focus on the teachers. It was Sunday afternoon, nearly four o'clock; the teachers had been attempting the simple Old Magic light spell for the last two hours.

"_Leoht_," Professor Slughorn attempted. There was nothing except a tiny spark.

"Keep going, this is great," Merlin praised them all.

"Mr Ambrosius, we're rubbish," Professor Sprout said stubbornly.

"No, you're not," Merlin assured them calmly. "I've tried to teach others this spell and they have struggled. Some of them didn't make a spark until their fifth lesson."

"So you lot are doing exceptionally well," Aithusa finished for him.

"Show us, again, Merlin," Slughorn prompted him.

Merlin sighed and didn't even say the incantation. His eyes flashed gold and a large glowing ball of light appeared in his right hand, casting light across the whole room. The teachers stared in complete silence. Merlin banished the light and rubbed his hands together.

"Come on, chop, chop!" He said, clapping his hands. "Let's all try it again!"

…..

"Merlin! How did it go?" Hermione asked excitedly, looking up as the warlock entered the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Oh, not bad," Merlin said, catching a Chocolate Frog that Ron through him and tearing into it, like he hadn't eaten for days.

"You look starved," Hermione said, frowning.

"What? Hmm?" asked Merlin, his mouth full of chocolate.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Oh, what, you mean properly?" Merlin grimaced, still eating the chocolate. "Er… can't remember. I snack though," he quickly added at Hermione's horrified expression.

"Tonight, you are coming down with us into the Great Hall, and you are going to eat," Hermione told him firmly. "And I am not going to let you leave the table until you eat a whole plate."

"I'm terrified," Merlin said sarcastically.

"But come on, mate, you must be hungry," Ron said.

"I'm not, really. Food just slows me down," Merlin said, turning to look at the floor. "Magic is my food. And it is all around me, so that keeps me going. Please, Hermione, just slip past this one?"

"No," Hermione said.

"I don't need to –"

"No," Hermione repeated.

"Hermione –"

"No."

"God, you're stubborn."

….

"I hate you," Merlin said, as he, Harry, Hermione and Ron strolled down the corridor, late at night, after dinner. "I feel sick."

"It will pass," Harry assured him. "You just haven't eaten a lot lately."

"Come into my chambers for a while, I'll help you with your Charms homework," Merlin suggested.

After several hours of windows exploding and Merlin repairing them, it was so dark that the moon shone so brightly it blinded them through the window. Harry, Hermione and Ron left Merlin's chambers feeling quite exhausted.

The clock struck twelve. Merlin looked up from where he was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He was suddenly filled with a sense of sadness and longing. Tears springing into his eyes, his heart clenched and his magic rolled around inside of him uncontrollably.

That day was the anniversary of King Arthur Pendragon's death.

….

"Merlin?" Hermione knocked at the door for what felt like the tenth time. "Open the door. Open the door, Merlin. Please."

Merlin lay, curled up in bed, sobs wracking his body as tears zigzagged down his cheeks. His chambers were a complete mess; glass shards shattered over the ground, curtains torn and clothes strung up around the room: all a result of Merlin's uncontrolled magic lashing out in fear, anger and sadness. Arthur was dead. That day was the day that Arthur had died. That day was the day that Merlin had failed his King. He was unable to face the past.

"Merlin, please open the door," Hermione pleaded.

Harry and Ron suddenly appeared beside her, turning the corner, frowns on their faces. Their bags were slung over their shoulders and they were dressed in their uniforms.

"What's going on?" Ron asked confusedly. "We've got five minutes until first period!"

"Merlin, come on, what's going on?" Hermione repeated, now banging her fists on the locked door. No reply. Hermione turned to Harry, looking scared. "He won't come out, he won't say anything!"

"_Alohomora!" _Harry muttered. To his surprise, the door swung open.

All three of them rushed inside, fear plastered on their faces. Harry stopped immediately. Merlin was shaking, in the foetus position, crying quietly. The sheets were strewn around the bed, ripped and torn, and the room looked like a bomb had hit.

Hermione slowly approached the trembling warlock. "Merlin? What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing. I – I just don't – go to your lessons, I'll be fine," he croaked.

"You're obviously not fine," Hermione whispered, sitting down beside him and gently stroking his messy black locks. "You can tell us, you know."

"Go," was all he said, turning away, shaking, his face wet.

Harry and Ron were clueless at what to do, so when Hermione rose to her feet and silently left the room, they hurried after her. She slowly shut the door behind her and strolled off to their Transfiguration lesson.

"That's it?" Ron asked.

"No, that's not it," Hermione snapped. "There's obviously something wrong with him, so as soon as we get to Transfiguration I'm telling Professor McGonagall."

They waited quietly outside the classroom as other students chattered around them. The three of them, plus Dean, were the only Gryffindors taking Transfiguration for N.E.W.T. There were several Slytherins and Ravenclaw and a few Hufflepuffs as well. Right on the dot, Professor McGonagall ushered them into her classroom. McGonagall quickly set them some reading work from their new text books that were about Animagi and as the rest of the class began reading, Hermione stuck her hand into the air and held it there confidently until Professor McGonagall looked up, lowering her spectacles and sighing.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron. All three of them scooted their chairs back and traipsed towards her desk. Harry could see Professor McGonagall looked confused as they approached, and she rose to her feet and guided them into her office next door.

"It's about Merlin," Hermione started.

"Yes, I did wonder where Mr Ambrosius was today," McGonagall said, nodding. "Where is he? Is something wrong?"

"I believe so," Hermione said, looking stressed. "We went into his chambers and he was crying."

Professor McGonagall froze, turning to stare at them. "Crying?"

"And shaking," Ron added.

"And his whole room looked like a Shield charm exploded in there and a couple of hippogriffs lived there," Harry said.

Professor McGonagall sighed, collapsing down into her office chair in front of her desk. "I wouldn't have expected any better," she admitted. "After what day it is today."

"It's Monday," Ron said, puzzled.

"Today is the anniversary of the death of King Arthur."

…

"Merlin! Open up! We know why you're so upset!" Ron hollered, smashing his fists onto Merlin's door ruthlessly.

"Ron!" Hermione sounded disappointed in him.

"What? How else are we going to get in?" Ron turned back to the door, banging on it. "Oi! Look, if you want to mourn over your royal dead mate, that's fine with me, but you can't ignore us for the whole day!"

"Go away," Merlin moaned from inside. "Shouldn't you be at lessons?"

"It's lunch!" Ron yelled. "And you've already missed three lessons!"

Merlin groaned; "You don't understand."

Hermione rolled her eyes, shoving Ron out of the way. "Merlin, we feel for you, we really do. But it's the past, you can't keep thinking about Arthur's death."

"It was my fault!" Merlin wailed from inside. "I failed him! I failed my destiny, and now he's dead!"

"Merlin, everybody dies sometime!" Harry shouted. "Arthur died protecting Camelot, wasn't that what he wanted?"

"He wanted peace," Merlin groaned. "He wanted Morgana dead. Morgana killed him."

"And you killed her!" Harry reminded him.

"I was too late, Arthur died anyway. He didn't even let me try and save him."

"MERLIN, WAKE UP!" Hermione suddenly yelled. "STOP BEING SO ANGSTY AND LISTEN TO US, YOU IDIOT."

Silence. Then, the door slowly opened. Merlin's face was blotched and wet and covered in tears, and his clothes were crumpled and he was sniffing. "That's what Arthur used to call me all the time," he whimpered.

Hermione sighed in relief and then embraced him deeply. Merlin hugged her back, tears still streaming down his face, but he was no longer shaking and seemed relatively calm.

"He was my best friend," Merlin whispered.

"I know, Merlin," Hermione assured him. "I know how much he meant to you."

"I try to tell myself that it will get easier," Merlin murmured. "I try to tell myself that I'll get over it. But each year, it just gets worse and worse."

Hermione nodded, smiling gently; she then enveloped the warlock in a deep hug again. She frowned, pressing her hand to Merlin's forehead. "You're burning up."

Merlin hung his head. "My magic always acts up on this day. When Arthur died, it created a great unbalance of the Old Religion… if effects me, and makes me ill sometimes…"

"We'd better take you to Madam Pomfrey, you look flushed," Harry said.

Merlin hesitated, but reluctantly agreed. He stumbled behind Ron as they guided him down the corridor towards the Hospital Ward. Hermione rubbed his back sympathetically as Harry watched Merlin, feeling as if he could relate to Merlin's feelings. He had lost so many people; his mother, his father, his friends, all because of Lord Voldemort. But Merlin had lost so many more; everybody he had once known: the love of his life, his best friend, his King, his Queen, his friends, his mother, his father, his guardian, so many more.

They reached the medical ward and Harry knocked on the door and explained what had happened. Madame Pomfrey guided them inside and Harry was not surprised to see Professor McGonagall already sitting there waiting for them.

"What have you done to yourself now?" Madam Pomfrey asked exasperatedly as she ushered Merlin to a bed and motioned for him to sit down on it. She took his temperature and took out a long, knobbly instrument and checked his pulse. "Stay there –"

She returned a few seconds later carrying a large clear crystal stone. McGonagall seemed to know what it was, because she nodded and took a place behind Merlin. She motioned for Merlin to take it in his hand but he shook his head, eyes growing wide, backing away.

"No, I don't trust you," he whispered, terrified.

"Merlin, it's alright," Hermione reassured him. "I've seen it used many times before.

"It just checks magical illnesses," McGonagall added.

"But it looks like the Crystal of Neahtid," Merlin mumbled.

"It'll be fine, I promise," Hermione said softly.

She took the crystal from Madam Pomfrey and offered it to Merlin, the stone glittering in the palm of her hand. Looking nervous, Merlin slowly allowed Hermione to tip the crystal into his hand. He flinched once, his eyes locked onto the crystal, but as the crystal began to glow a dim red, he relaxed slightly. McGonagall rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled slightly, reassuring him even more.

"Just as I thought," Madam Pomfrey said, nodding, taking the stone from him. "Your magic is swelling up inside of you and causing you to burn up."

"You won't be able to go to lessons tomorrow, Merlin," McGonagall told him. "Not that it matters, of course."

"Will I be okay?" Merlin asked quietly.

"You should be fine, just take it easy for the next few days," Madam Pomfrey advised him.

"First term, Merlin, and you're already causing a stir," Ron laughed. "Must be a new record."

Merlin smiled weakly. "You remind me of Arthur, sometimes."

Hermione sat down beside him and took Merlin's hand. "I know we can never replace him, Merlin," she told him gently, "We could never replace a friend like Arthur. But if you need us, we'll be here for you. Always."

"Thank you," Merlin whispered.

**I knew some people wanted me to mention Arthur so there you are! I PROMISE you, there will be more Arthur and I can reveal that Arthur will feature in this story later on.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter**

**Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!**

**Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**

**MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.**

**DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.**

The only way Harry could describe the next three days, was _boring_. It was incredibly boring. Tuesday and Wednesday were boring without Merlin, since he wasn't allowed to attend lessons because of his magical 'meltdown' and on Thursday, Merlin didn't attend any lessons and instead he and Dumbledore wove protective enchantments around the castle.

That Thursday night Harry spoke to the members of the DA who knew about Merlin, and about the private lessons they were planning. Merlin didn't turn up, but promised that next week he would teach them a spell that would fuse with their own New Magic.

The Friday was a bit better. Merlin was cleared for lessons that day and the four of them made their way down to breakfast in the Great Hall. They sat with Neville and Luna and munched on toast happily. Harry noticed that Malfoy and his cronies were not at breakfast and didn't care one bit, except he felt as if he wanted to know what Malfoy was doing.

"Wonder what Malfoy's doing these days," he said casually, "As a Death Eater."

Merlin choked on his orange juice and looked at Harry with wide eyes. "You know?"

"See!" Harry said triumphantly to Hermione and Ron, who turned to Merlin, looking confused. "I told you! Merlin agrees with me!"

"It's just a speculation," Merlin muttered.

"Then why have you got Aithusa following him around?" Neville asked, smirking slightly.

This time, Merlin tipped his glass over in shock. Orange juice soaked the table cloth and Merlin quickly uttered a spell and his eyes sparked gold, cleaning the cloth and refilling his glass. "What I have Aithusa do is none of your business," he said seriously.

"So she is following Malfoy!" Harry said triumphantly. "That's why she hasn't been around you for the last few days! Why is she stalking Malfoy?"

"None of your business!" Merlin snapped, his eyes flashing furiously.

Neville turned away, looking slightly scared, but Harry didn't back down. Merlin may have been scary and extremely powerful, and could have cursed or thrown him back in an instant, but Harry knew that Merlin would hesitate. So he risked it. "I can just force her to tell me."

"I am Aithusa's Dragonlord! She would rather die than betray me," Merlin hissed, glowering at Harry. The warlock's cobalt blue eyes were cold and merciless. His voice was filled with power. "Do not question my judgement, Harry Potter!"

Harry stopped, eyes wide, worried now that he had gone too far. He knew that if he said much more, that Merlin's eyes could flash gold without another word in a split second and he could be knocked out or severely injured.

Merlin's threatening expression softened and he picked up some toast and chewed on it, asking, "Now, what's our first lesson today?" more gently.

….

The next few weeks passed quickly. Harry only caught sight of Dumbledore twice throughout this time, but Merlin brushed it off rather quickly, telling him not to worry. Harry could only worry; had Dumbledore forgotten the lessons he was supposed to be giving him? Harry could only feel abandoned.

Halfway through October came their first trip of the term to Hogsmeade. Merlin was concerned about the security of the students, but Harry was pleased to know that the trips were going ahead; it was always good to get out of the castle grounds for a few hours. McGonagall, however, had told them firmly that they were only to leave the grounds accompanied by Merlin.

Merlin arrived at breakfast on the morning of the Hogsmeade trip to find Harry, Ron and Hermione talking about a spell that Harry had found in the Half-Blood Prince's book. By the sound of it, the spell happened to be _Levicorpus, _and Harry had used it accidentally on Ron. By the time Merlin reached the table, Harry had remarked about how the Death Eaters would love to have him, if they didn't keep trying to do him in.

"What have I missed?" Merlin asked, smiling as he slid in beside Hermione.

"Something funny, I gather," Aithusa added, soaring down to join them, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

"Not much," Hermione informed them. "Just speculating over this Half-Blood Prince. You don't happen to know who he is, do you, Merlin?"

Merlin very pointedly grabbed a plate and began scoffing down bacon. Luckily, a distraction arrived in the shape of Ginny.

"Hey, Harry, I'm supposed to give you this."

Merlin ate hurriedly while Harry opened the scroll of parchment Ginny handed to him.

"It's Monday evening!" Harry told them brightly, smiling.

"Told you there was no need to worry," Merlin replied, grinning. "Hey, Ginny, want to join us in Hogsmeade?"

"Sorry, I'm going with Dean," Ginny responded. "I might see you there though."

Filch was standing at the oak front doors as usual, checking off the names of the people who had permission to go into Hogsmeade. Filch took their names but one look at Merlin was all he needed to quickly back off to check off other people. The whole process took longer than normal as Filch was triple-checking everybody with his Secrecy Sensor. It went completely mad when he scanned Merlin, but Filch simply turned away and moved on to the next person.

"Why'd it activate with you?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Old Magic," Aithusa replied. "It's the biggest secret of them all."

"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff OUT?" Ron demanded, eyeing the long sensory probe with apprehension. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?"

His cheek earned him a few extra jabs with the sensor and he was still wincing was they stepped out into the wind and sleet.

The walk into Hogsmeade was not enjoyable. Merlin drew his Pendragon red cloak around him tightly and tucked his face into his neckerchief. His hands soon felt raw and numb, but he could soon fix that. The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. Merlin had never ventured into Hogsmeade before so had no idea where to go, but luckily Ron pointed towards an open shop, Honeydukes.

"Thank God," Ron shivered, as they were enveloped by warm, toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon."

Suddenly, Aithusa kicked Merlin. He glanced around only to be caught in a state of sheer panic. Slughorn was heading towards them, seemingly not have noticed them yet. He ducked behind a display hurriedly, motioning for Harry, Hermione and Ron not to look at him.

Harry frowned. "What –"

"Harry, m'boy!" said a booming voice from being them.

"Oh, now I get it," Harry muttered. The three students turned to greet Slughorn, who was wearing a massive furry hat and overcoat with a matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystallised pineapple.

Merlin took the opportunity and ducked away into a small crowd. Only once Slughorn had vanished did Merlin finally rejoin Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"I can't believe you wriggled out of another one," Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"Who are you talking too, me or Harry?" Merlin asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Both of you!" Hermione said, exasperated.

"What are we talking about?" Merlin asked Ron confusedly.

"The Slug Club," Ron explained. "And those party things."

"They're not _that _bad you know… sometimes they're even quite fun…" She stopped when she caught sight of Ron's expression.

"Well, I don't really want to be pawned over, thanks very much," Harry replied sarcastically. "And I'm sure Merlin feels the same way."

They bundled up their coats and cloaks and left the sweet shop after purchasing some sweets. The bitter wind was like knives on their faced after the warmth of Honeydukes, but luckily Aithusa was like a massive heater wrapped around Merlin's neck, so he kept relatively warm.

The street was not very busy; nobody was lingering to chat, just hurrying towards their destinations. Merlin could sense fear in the air, simply hanging their like a dark cloud over the top of them. They reached the warm insides of the Three Broomsticks a few seconds later and sighed in relief.

"Ever tried a Butterbeer?" Harry asked Merlin curiously.

"Nope," Merlin replied, grinning. "Looks like you have the upper hand here, Harry."

They sat down in a group and ordered Butterbeer for the four of them. Neither of them spoke while they drained the warm, buttery drink from their bottles, but Merlin laughed once when Aithusa licked a spilt bit from the empty bottle and gagged.

"Shall we call it a day and go back to school, then?" Hermione asked them, as soon as they finished the last drops of their bottles. "It's really too cold to do anything else."

They agreed; it had not been a fun trip and the weather was getting worse the longer their stayed. Once again they drew their cloaks closely around them, rearranged their scarves, pulled on their gloves and they then followed Katie Bell and a friend out of the pub and back up the High Street. Merlin's thoughts were drawn to Arthur as they trudged up the road to Hogwarts through the frozen slush. They had once been forced on a quest through weather like this, and they had both caught colds and teased each other about it. It was probably their humour that allowed them to survive. Scowling, he bowed his head against the swirling sleet and trudged on. Now was not the time to think of his past.

It was a little while before Merlin became aware of another magical presence nearby them. It was powerful, and black waves rolled off it, causing both Merlin and Aithusa to shiver. He stopped and stared at Katie Bell and her friend, two indistinct figured in the wind, whose voices had being shriller and louder. The two girls were having an argument about something Katie was holding in her hand.

"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" Merlin heard Katie yell.

They rounded a corner in the lane, sleet coming thick and fast, blurring their vision. Suddenly, Merlin felt something jolt within his own magic. Leanne had made to grab gold of the package Katie was holding; Katie tugged it back and two began to bicker over it.

"NO!" Merlin yelled, flying forwards, feeling the Dark magic surge out of the package towards Katie menacingly.

He snatched the package away, creating a tear. Whatever was inside the package made contact with his bare skin; immediately, his Old Magic exploded in pain and he fell to the ground, gasping and screaming for breath. He was aware that Katie had fallen onto the ground beside him, unconscious, thrashing wildly, shrieking. Through bleary, tear-ridden eyes, Merlin saw Harry, Hermione and Ron sprint towards them, horror plastered over their faces. He lay in agony, as Katie thrashed and screamed, apparently unable to recognise any of them.

"Stay there!" Merlin was barely aware that Harry was shouting; he could only hear a whisper in the back of his mind. "Aithusa and I are going for help!"

Contorting in agony, the Dark magic tearing at his own, Merlin lay curled up on the ground, panting heavily.

"Get back!" he heard somebody yell. "Lemme see 'em!"

Merlin twitched as he recognised Hagrid gazing down at him.

"Get Katie…" the warlock whispered, his form wracking in pain.

Hagrid looked conflicted, but vanished from Merlin's vision after nodding. The warlock turned his burning head sideways to see the giant man picking up the unconscious girl from the ground and running off towards the castle with her, Katie's piercing screams dying away in the roar of the wind.

"I'll inform McGonagall," Aithusa told them, though Merlin barely heard nor saw her, only feeling the rush of wind over his cold face as he shivered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin could see Hermione comforting Leanne but Harry and Ron were crouching down beside the package, about to pick it up.

"_Don't touch it!" _he practically screamed.

Harry and Ron stopped their advance, instead turning their attention to him, looking at him with wide eyes. Merlin swam in and out of consciousness, hearing only snippets of their conversation…

"… seen it before…"

"…Borgin and Burkes…"

"…cursed…"

"…must have touched it…"

"… Merlin! Merlin? Can you hear me?..."

He moved his head sideways slightly, cracking his eyes open. "I can hear you," he croaked.

Hermione, Ron and Harry were kneeling beside him, looking terrified and immensely worried. Leanne was nowhere to be seen; Hermione must have told her to run back up to the castle and check that Aithusa's message had been received.

"We need to get you up," Hermione told him slowly, eyes wide. Her eyes skimmed up and down his body and what she saw must have been alarming and frightening, as she flinched violently, shaking. "We need to get you to the castle. Do you think you can do that?"

Merlin closed his eyes briefly before answering, "Yes. Help me up."

Harry and Ron got beneath him and draped Merlin's limp arms around their shoulders, supporting him as the warlock managed to stand on shaky legs. His head ached and screamed in protest, but he shook it off.

"Hermione," Merlin whimpered. "Pick up the package using your scarf. Do _not _let it touch your bare skin."

Hermione nodded and hurriedly did as he said, wrapping the opal necklace in her scarf. Harry and Ron were quick to hand their own scarves over as well and Hermione wrapped those around the bundle as an extra precaution.

Slowly, but surely, they began to make their way up the road towards the castle. The road was deserted; there was nobody they could call for help as all the students were either back up in their Common Rooms or down at Hogsmeade.

They had just entered the grounds went Harry spoke up: "Malfoy knows about this necklace. It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. This is what he was buying that day when we followed him! He remembered it and he went back for it!"

"I – I dunno, Harry," Ron said hesitantly. "Loads of people go into Borgin and Burkes…"

"I still think it was Malfoy," Harry said strongly.

"Harry might be right," Merlin whispered. Harry smiled smugly, and Merlin hastened to add, "He might not though."

"Yeah, we didn't exactly see Malfoy pick up the necklace," Ron said, nodding.

"Malfoy wasn't talking about the necklace, he was talking about something else," Hermione snapped.

"It was Malfoy!" Harry insisted.

"Didn't that girl say Katie got it from the girls' bathroom?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Leanne said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily get it in the bathroom itself –"

"McGonagall!" Ron told them warningly.

Merlin struggled to raise his head as he fought unconsciousness. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall was hurrying down the stone steps through swirling sleet to meet them. Aithusa was bounding behind her, her white scales blending in with the snow, but her eyes like vibrant colourful torches.

"Hagrid says that you four saw what happened to Katie Bell – good Lord!" McGonagall exclaimed, alarmed, as she spotted Merlin practically being carried by Ron and Harry. "What happened to Mr Emrys?"

Merlin didn't even care that she wasn't using his cover name anymore. He just wanted the blissful rest that passing out would provide, but he knew that wasn't an option. "I took most of the curse," he murmured. "I couldn't let Katie get hurt."

"We need to get you to the Hospital Wing –"

"No," Merlin said forcefully. "I'm coming with you. I want to tell you what happened."

"I cannot - What's that you're holding, Potter?" McGonagall had now momentarily turned away, distracted as Hermione passed the bundle of scarves over the Harry.

"It's the thing that Katie touched," Harry informed her.

Merlin gazed almost pleadingly at the Head of Gryffindor: "I _need _to know what that thing is."

"Mr Emrys –"

"_Do not argue with me,_" Merlin snarled, as McGonagall recoiled. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed painfully.

"A – Alright," McGonagall finally complied, looking alarmed as she took the necklace from Harry. "No, no, Filch, they're with me!" she added hastily, as Filch came shuffling eagerly across the Entrance Hall holding his Secrecy Sensor aloft. "Leanne, fetch Professor Snape at once and tell him there is an emergency in my office."


End file.
